Hope
by The Angry Black Woman
Summary: A Future or Mirai T/P: Trunks goes from pestering ghosts of Gohan only he can see, to a crazy girlfriend and the new one he's truly in love with, Pan. Now they find themselves on a journey to the past.*Chapter 13*
1. Chapter 1

Ok, this is a t/p fic set in Future Trunks timeline. I hope this fic isn't confusing for anyone. Anyway, review on the way out. I'd really appreciate it.   
  
~Important~  
-...- indicates thoughts  
~...~ indicates bond communication (if ever necessary)  
*...* indicates a flashback (if ever necessary)  
(A/N:...) indicates my Author's Notes that will occasionally appear throughout the fic.   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball, DBZ, or DBGT, although I'd like to. I'd be one rich ass bitch, wouldn't I?  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Trunks watched as Pan put her hair back with her orange bandanna and got into a fighting stance, waiting for Trunks to start the sparring match like he always did. Trunks smirked at the look that she was giving him, a look that was supposed to be intimidating, but only proved amusing to him. He still saw her as the little girl that used to follow him every where and not the 17 year old young woman that she had become.   
  
Trunks brushed some of his lavender locks out of his eyes, and pulled out his trusty sword from it's sheath, his eyes still locked on his opponent, and got into a fighting stance of his own.   
  
"No fair, Trunks," Pan whined, standing straight now with her arms crossed over her chest. "You can't use your sword."   
  
"Why not?" Trunks asked, his smirk almost widening into a full smile.   
  
"Because it's not fair, dumbass," Pan replied. "If you get to use a sword, I need one too."  
  
"Quit whining and get over it," Trunks snapped. "All's fair on the battlefield."  
  
Then, he charged at Pan, much to her surprise, and swiped at her with his weapon. And much to his surprise, she dodged it easily. He spun around to attack once more, but she had disappeared.   
  
"Where the hell... Ah!" Trunks screamed. He was cut off by Pan's foot that connected with the back of his head, making him stumble a little bit, but he quickly caught his balance and once again looked for his opponent.   
  
"Sneaky little girl..." he muttered.   
  
Trunks put the sword back into it's sheath and powered up to a Super Saiyan, searching for her ki. He felt her ki charging at him from behind and swung around, catching her fist.  
  
"That's not fair, Trunks," Pan complained once again. "You know I can't transform yet."  
  
"Tough," he said.   
  
He heaved his free hand at her face, connecting, and making her hit the ground hard, sliding on the dirt a few feet. She quickly got up and wiped the blood from her lip, charging a ball of ki in her hands.   
  
"MASENKO!" she screamed, then heaved the blast at Trunks.   
  
Trunks smirked and swiped the blast away, making it crash into a nearby mountain. "Not tough enough, girl."  
  
Pan gritted her teeth and charged a Trunks, throwing a barrage of kicks and punched that he easily blocked. Somehow, Trunks managed to sneak in a kick of his own, kicking her square in the chin. Pan grunted and hit the ground hard once again. Trunks was about to fly over and start his assault once again, when he felt Pan's ki drop dramatically. He waited awhile, but noticed that she wasn't getting up soon.   
  
- She's just toying with me.- he thought. - She's stronger than that. That little kick couldn't have hurt her too much.-  
  
Still, she lay lifeless in the dirt, not moving an inch. Trunks started to get worried and flew over to her. He knelt down and shook her a little bit, descending from Super Saiyan to his regular form.   
  
"Pan," he said. "are you ok?"  
  
Silence.   
  
"Pan?"  
  
Still, she didn't budge.   
  
"Oh, shit."   
  
Trunks' fingers were millimeters away from her neck, trying to check her pulse, when she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the ground. Then, she sat on his back, twisting his arm back at an unnatural angle, making him howl in pain.   
  
Pan smirked. "Well, now I know what your weakness is."  
  
"Pan, I'm going to kill you... Ah, shit!" he screamed as she twisted his arm back even farther. "That's not fair you little bitch!"  
  
"All's fair on the battlefield," Pan said, imitating the way Trunks had told her before. "Wait a minute. Did you just call me a bitch?"  
  
Trunks eyes widened in horror as he imagined what Pan would do to him for calling her that. - Oh, shit.-  
  
Pan let go of his arm and got off of his back. She slid one leg back and cupped her hands together, swinging them to her side.   
  
"Ka.... Me...." she started as blue ball of ki charged in her hands. "Ha.... Me..."  
  
"Oh shit..." Trunks muttered out loud as he began to stand up straight.   
  
"Ha!" Pan shouted, throwing the blast his way.   
  
The Kamehameha wave hit Trunks in the chest, sending him into a nearby mountain, breaking it into pieces.   
  
Pan flew over to him, waiting for him to get up, her arms crossed with a smirk spread over her face.   
  
Soon, Trunks got up, shaking rock and dust particles out of his hair and off of his clothes.   
  
"Well," he said, facing Pan. "I know never to call you a bitch again."  
  
Pan smiled. "You better not."  
  
Trunks extended his hand. "Good match, kid."  
  
Pan frowned, but accepted his hand anyway. "I wish you people would stop calling me a kid. I'm 17 years old, almost 18. Almost a legal adult, not a kid."  
  
"Well, you're a kid compared to me, Panny," Trunks said. "I am 31 years old."  
  
"It's hard to believe," Pan said, walking toward Bulma's house with Trunks. "When you're with me you act so stupid, I forget how old you are."  
  
Trunks cocked an eyebrow at his younger companion, but decided not counter with a verbal attack of his own. He might accidentally call her a bitch and catch an ass whopping again. Instead, he just watched her as she began to walk ahead of him, watching her every movement. The wind blew her hair slightly, and everything seemed to go in slow motion for him. He finally noticed what a beautiful young woman she had become. His brain sort of froze, his attention locked on Pan's graceful movements. He felt like a teenager again as his hormones began to rage. Suddenly, he realized what he was doing, and shook his head, regaining his composure.   
  
- Get a hold of yourself, Trunks.- he mentally scolded himself. - She's only 17 years old! She's practically a kid, for crying out loud! You've watched her grow up. How can you even think of her as anything but a little sister or a even daughter? What would Gohan think if he were still alive?-  
  
- I wouldn't mind, and you know it, Trunks.-   
  
Trunks slightly jumped as he heard another voice in his head that wasn't his own. It sounded familiar, so much like Gohan, but he immediately dismissed the idea. Gohan had been dead for 17 years, he couldn't be talking to him, especially in his head.   
  
- I must be losing it.- he thought.  
  
- No, you aren't Trunks.- the voice said to him again. - It's me, Gohan. I'm talking to you from the Other World.-   
  
- How?- Trunks asked, confused.   
  
- It's not obvious that I'm speaking to you telepathically?-  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. - Why are you talking to me? You like that question better?-  
  
- Well, it seems you're in denial and I'm hear to give you some advice.-  
  
- In denial? In denial about what?-  
  
- Your feelings for my little Panny-chan.-   
  
- What are you talking about?-  
  
Gohan sighed, making it hearable in Trunks head. - Were you not just staring at her a couple of minutes ago and then scolding yourself for it?-   
  
- Uh...-  
  
- You can't lie to me Trunks. I know the truth anyway.-  
  
- Ok, I was. But I don't want to! She's 14 years younger than me and I've practically helped Videl raise her. I feel like Master Roshi.-  
  
Gohan laughed. - You aren't a pervert, Trunks. You can't help who you love.-  
  
- Whoa, I wouldn't go that far. I'm not in love her, I just... kind of... like her.-  
  
Gohan rolled his eyes. - Alright Trunks. But remember what I said anyway. Ok?-  
  
The mental bond was cut off between Trunks and his deceased best friend.   
  
Pan stared at Trunks, an angry look on her face.   
  
"What?" Trunks asked her, noticing the look she was giving him.   
  
"I've been talking to you for the last 10 minutes and you haven't said a word!" Pan said, irritated. "What's your problem, anyway?"  
  
"Oh.... uh... nothing," Trunks stuttered.   
  
Pan turned around and kept walking. "Whatever."  
  
Gohan smirked from his place hovered over them high in the air. He brushed some hair away from his face with the one arm that he had, brushing against the halo that floated over his head. His smile grew wider when he realized that he'd be seeing his family again, even though he wouldn't be able to talk to any of them except for Trunks. He flew after them, excitedly.   
  
- My family....- he thought. - I finally get to see them...-  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Ok, I know that was short a little corny but oh well. Let me know if this fic has potential or not in your reviews and check out my other fic, "A Prince's Past" that's still in progress. Please review!!! Please, please, PLEASE! 


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, here's the next chapter. This might be a little confusing because I wanted to talk about Pan's birth so that her relationship with Trunks could be fully understood. The first chapter was merely more of a prologue rather than a chapter, touching base on their friendship and little bit of Gohan's return, but it'll get more and more in detail as time progresses. I also want to address some questions that my friend Autumn had, and maybe some other people were wondering too. Damn, Autumn, you and your goddamn questions.   
  
Question: How does Trunks know he likes her from just looking at her?  
Answer: Well, you'll see in this chapter, sort of. It'll make more sense I hope.  
  
Q: How did Gohan come back from the Other World?  
A: Well, Autumn, let's put it in terms you can understand. He can do that, he's a pimp. No, that'll be explained in the next chapter. I know, I already wrote it.   
  
Q: How did Gohan know what they looked like if he never got to see his family?  
A: Well, dumb ass, in the last chapter, and I quote, "His smile grew wider when he realized that he'd be seeing his family again..". Hint: again. And plus, being up in Heaven, or The Other World, he can see what's going on a little bit, can't he? And looking at Pan, with those black eyes of hers, who else's kid could she be?   
  
Special Thanks to Reviews from:  
eminem-fire-pimptight   
inca-dove  
  
At least two people care! Although one is my best friend....  
  
~Important~  
I changed some things for this chapter that will remain this way throughout the fic:  
*...* doesn't indicate flashbacks anymore. I will simply put however many years before that the event took place, if I feel a flashback is necessary.   
(A/N:..) is still my Author's Notes  
-...- is still thoughts  
~*~ indicates a scene or setting change  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing of DBZ, or anything related to DBZ, is mine except for the concept of this fic. Now, finally, on with the goddamn chapter!  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Almost 18 years earlier...  
"I think it's going to be a boy," Videl said as she stretched out her legs under the table in Bulma's kitchen, her now swollen legs because of the weight of her pregnancy.   
  
"You thought wrong," Gohan said as he smiled down at her, sitting in the chair beside her. He lowered his gaze from her eyes to her huge belly. Videl was 8 months pregnant then. "It's going to be a girl. And we're going to name her Pan. Son Pan." He smiled with pride, thinking of his unborn child. He and Videl had only been married for a month before she got pregnant and now they were expecting a child. It all went so fast for him, but he enjoyed every minute of his new life, despite the constant chaos the Androids were causing. It seemed like they never stopped hurting and killing people, and it only made Gohan worry more and more that bringing a child into this less than orderly world would be dangerous, but he had faith that the psychotic beings would be destroyed in time. Trunks was making good progress in his training and Gohan was getting stronger also. And who knows, maybe his daughter would join them in the fight one day. He smiled at the thought as his wife frowned at him.   
  
"A boy would be easier to raise don't you think?" Videl said, suddenly worried and sensing that her baby would be born soon and not in a month on it's due-date. "For me at least. Girls are always.... what's the word... girly.... and I'm everything but that."  
  
"Don't be silly, Videl," Bulma said, getting into the young married couple's conversation as Trunks sat silent, like he usually did, beside his mother. He found that as a young teenager, it didn't make much sense to butt into an adult conversation, especially when they were talking about Videl and Gohan's baby. Even though Gohan was his best and only friend, he found that when adults get to together, there was no place in their conversation for a 14 year old. "You'll be a great mother, no matter what sex the baby is."  
  
"You're right," Videl sighed, defeated. "But just in case it is a boy," she turned to Trunks then. "what do you think we should name him, Trunks?"   
  
Trunks looked up into the eyes that matched the color of his own, surprised that she was talking to him. She was always nice to him, of course, and he liked her a lot, but it was weird to be included in the conversation, because he so seldom was. "Uh, well..." he thought long and hard and then, "Maybe you should name him after Gohan... or his dad.... everyone talks about how good a fighter and a person he was..."  
  
Gohan smiled at the thought. It would be nice to have a living memory of his father, and what a great way to do it. In his son, if he had one. "That's a good idea, Trunks. We could call him Son Goku, Jr. or something of the sort. But I don't think that'll happen." He sat back in his chair and smiled wider. "It's still going to be a girl. Son Pan. And maybe her middle name could be Chichi, after my mom." He looked sad then, and his smile quickly faded as Bulma sighed with equal sorrow.  
  
"I wish you would have talked to her before she died," Bulma said, looking down at her cup of coffee as if Chichi was going to appear in it. "Poor thing. She was so devastated those few years after Goku was gone.... she just couldn't handle it."  
  
Gohan nodded. "I know. I should've talked to her." Should've. Could've. But didn't. He'd been 8 when Goku died and 2 years after that, the Androids came and killed all the other Z-Warriors and after that, he just lost control. He gave up all hope when his father died and losing the rest of his friends didn't help either. He just wandered around aimlessly without caring about anything anymore, leaving his mother to worry about him all of the time until she literally worried herself sick. It was like a piece of him had died and then her death (which occurred when he was 12) didn't help either. He barely talked to her at all and without warning she just died. He cried endlessly, feeling guilty for not paying attention to her and nothing ever washed that guilt away, not even the next few years with Bulma and Trunks, who soon became his only friends and everything in his life.   
  
But he was still depressed beyond words until he met Videl. They were both 18 at the time and they immediately fell in love. She was an orphan too, except that both of her parents had been killed by the Androids and she had no one to take her under their wing when they died. And soon, Gohan felt his life change so fast with Videl there to light it up and fill it with meaning again that he almost couldn't believe what his life was like now. But he was happy now, especially since he had formed a strong friendship with Trunks and found Videl without giving up hope. He thought of ending it all, but in a way, Trunks and Videl had saved him, and he always would be grateful to them.   
  
The room grew silent as Bulma and Gohan thought about the good times with Chichi and the rest of their dead friends, while Videl and Trunks just sat quietly. Trunks didn't remember any of them because he had been so young when they died and Videl didn't know them at all, but they both knew how hard it was for Bulma and Gohan to recollect on the past, having lost all of their friends during this hard time under the Androids' rule. And because of them, all 4 of them thanked each day that they were alive and had escaped the fate that had met almost everyone on Earth.   
  
Gohan got up then and ushered Trunks out of the dome-shaped house so that they could go training, as they did everyday. Gohan kissed his wife goodbye and told her that he loved her, as he always did, making sure that she knew, so if he ever left her unexpectedly, that would be his last words to her. And with a smile and a wave, Gohan and Trunks left the house and flew to the deserted area where they trained everyday, both of them unaware of what would soon come.   
  
~*~  
  
Gohan was shouting at Trunks to push his power as far as it would go, Trunks doing as he was told, his white and blue Capsule Corp. shirt and pants, along with his lavender hair waving from the force of his ki. Gohan desperately wanted Trunks to become a Super Saiyan, so that he could have a better chance in beating the Androids. Ever since he'd experienced all of his friends die, and heard Videl's tragic story of her parents' death, he'd been filled with hatred and rage and he wanted more than anything to kill them, so that Trunks could grow up and have kids without being afraid for them to go play outside.... like he felt about his unborn child.   
  
"C'mon Trunks!" he shouted, and Trunks winced at his tone. He never liked it when Gohan yelled at him, he felt bad when he couldn't please his friend. And he hated the horrible feeling in his ears caused by his loud voice. He cursed his Saiyan heritage for giving him the sensitive hearing. He had once taken pride in being part of a race of courageous warriors, but that faded when he got that ringing sensation in his ears that hurt so much. "I know what's wrong. You're scared. You're afraid to face them because you're afraid of dying."  
  
Trunks looked at him, still concentrating hard, but managed to say, "That's not true, Gohan!"  
  
"Yes, it is!" Gohan pretended to be angry with him. "You're afraid! You're a coward, Trunks! That's what you are! You'll never be worth anything unless you face your fears! Stop being a coward, Trunks!"  
  
Trunks turned to Gohan, hatred and anger filling him, his good side disappearing for a moment. The last thing he ever wanted was to be a coward. He lunged at Gohan and punched him with all the rage he'd felt towards the Androids and their evil deeds. It was so unexpected that it caught Gohan off guard and he flew a couple feet and hit a huge rock, shattering it into pieces.   
  
Trunks looked stunned and the crazy side that he'd felt moments before diminished as he hurried over to Gohan. He pulled him out of the rubble by the only arm that Gohan still had left, the one left from a battle with the Androids, and looked at his friend, afraid of his reaction. But Gohan only smiled as he wiped away a trickle of blood that rolled down his forehead.   
  
"I'm sorry, Gohan," Trunks pleaded. "I just... lost my head..."  
  
"I know, kid," Gohan said as he wiped dust and rock particles off of his gi. "That's exactly what I wanted. Although I hadn't expected a blow like that, I was hoping it would drive you to becoming a Super Saiyan. Use that anger the next time we face the Androids." He smiled then and ruffled Trunks' lavender hair as the younger boy stared up at him, relieved that he wasn't angry. "You pack a hell of a punch, kid."  
  
Trunks smiled and they walked back to the place where they once were to start training again, but suddenly a question that had been gnawing at him for as long as he could remember was alive again and he couldn't help but ask, "Gohan, what was my dad like?"  
  
Gohan looked startled and surprised by the question. He was totally caught off guard, and he didn't know what to say. He could tell him the truth, that he was a cold, brutal, man who had softened up a little bit and become a good guy, but he figured that wasn't anything he didn't know already.   
  
"To tell you the truth," Gohan started. "I didn't know him that well, but I know that he was a cold-blooded killer for a long time... a long, long time.... he tried to kill my father before..." He knew Trunks knew that already by the look of impatience on his face. "I know you know that by now, but there's not much else to say. He wasn't always on the opposite side, and he was useful in the fight against Frieza and the Ginyu Force.... " He sighed, not knowing what else to say. "I guess if you wanted to describe Vegeta in one word it would probably be cold. That's what he was. He probably never even told your mom he loved her.... but that's just because he was still hanging on to traditions he was taught on Vegeta-sei... that emotions like love were useless in becoming a great warrior.... he was probably scared of it. I know that seems stupid to think he was afraid of marriage and kids when he was one of the strongest men in the universe.... but he was Saiyan.... and that's all a Saiyan thinks about is being strong and conquering races that were 'beneath him'... that's all a Saiyan lives for... battle."   
  
Trunks nodded. It was understandable, but not reasonable and justified. After all, Goku was a Saiyan and he didn't have any qualms about settling down with Chichi. And Gohan was half-Saiyan and totally content about being with Videl. If Vegeta was such a powerful man, why did marriage and kids intimidate him so much? He didn't know, and he never would, but for now, he was satisfied with what Gohan just told him. His mother had never bad mouthed him when she told him stories of Vegeta, but it felt good to hear something that wasn't that disappointing and heart breaking from someone who was never close to him. "Thanks, Gohan.... for telling me that. It's nice to know that someone who never liked him didn't make him seem like a totally bad guy."  
  
"I was just being honest," Gohan said, matter-of-factly.   
  
"But it meant a lot to me. Thank you."  
  
"Your welcome." Gohan grinned and rubbed the back of his head in the innocent Son gesture he'd inherited from his father, despite the great deal of maturity he'd gained and the great deal of naivety he'd lost since the Androids came. He was beginning to return to his normal self slowly, but still, he had too much maturity now, that he'd gained too early in life, even at 23. His heart would never heal from the blows of his traumatizing past, but he wouldn't let that stop him now, not when his life seemed to be beginning again.   
  
And suddenly, they both turned when they heard a building crash into pieces and they both instantly knew. The Androids. They'd come again to wreak havoc on any existing humans they could find.   
  
~*~  
  
Both friends gritted their teeth in anger and flew over to the fallen building just in time to witness a little girl get vaporized by the black-haired Android 17, with his blonde twin, 18, laughing her wicked laugh next to him, the laugh that had become all too familiar with the remaining Z-warriors, and it only made Gohan get even angrier watching them.   
  
"Well, well, well," 17 said, in his menacingly evil voice that sends chills down one's spine. "If it isn't Gohan and uh..." He scratched his head, trying to remember the younger one's name.   
  
"Trunks," 18 finished for her twin brother.   
  
"Yeah, that's it."  
  
"Haven't you two done enough damage in the past 13 years?" Gohan asked, looking angry and annoyed. He was thankful for the anger his Saiyan half gave him in every encounter with the Androids.   
  
"Apparently not," 17 said, grinning maliciously. "You're still here."  
  
Trunks and Gohan growled in anger and they both powered up, Gohan powering up into a Super Saiyan. He turned to Trunks at his side and decided that he wasn't ready for this yet. He wouldn't be until he turned into a Super Saiyan at least.   
  
"Trunks," Gohan said, returning his eyes to his opponents. "Go home. You're not ready."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Trunks looked horrified. He couldn't possibly believe he would be able to do this by himself. "You can't do it alone. Especially now that you only have one arm. I can help, I really can." He was pleading with him, wanting him to reconsider. He wanted to be able to help him if he could. He hated feeling helpless.   
  
But Gohan shook his head. "I won't let you die. I won't. Now go home. You're not ready for this yet."  
  
Trunks shook his head, feeling tears threaten to pour from his eyes. "I'm not leaving. I'm going to help you."  
  
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Gohan brought his elbow up then and smashed it hard into Trunks' face, knocking down to ground, unconscious. "Sorry kid," he whispered, then returned his attention to his opponents, who were both grinning and looking so evil it sent a chill down Gohan's spine that made his whole body quiver.   
  
And as he got into a fighting stance, he prayed silently that if he died, Trunks, Bulma, Videl, and his child that was still growing in his wife's womb would be safe from these horrible tyrants. He also said a message to father, hoping that he could hear his voice and he'd be filled with courage again. But he didn't. And he had to face 17 and 18, alone.   
  
~*~  
  
Trunks stirred awhile after. He didn't know what had happened for a minute, only that it started to rain. He sat up and while his eyes were focusing it all hit him again like a bolt of lightening. Gohan was fighting the Androids... and he knocked him out to protect him. But as he looked around, he saw that he was at the same place that they'd first saw them and he didn't see Gohan, 17, or 18 anywhere. And then he felt his heart sink in terror. He couldn't be... could he? No, Gohan couldn't die. It wasn't possible. But he knew something was wrong when he heard a soft moan a few feet in front of him, and as he ran to his friend's side, a single tear rolled down his cheek. He knew it was all over, but his mind wouldn't let him accept it, not until he saw him.   
  
And the state that Gohan's body was in had confirmed it. There was a humongous hole in his stomach and his leg was bent back in an unnatural angle, his gi torn and frayed everywhere, and his body was burned in places where ki blasts had hit. It was such a disgusting sight that Trunks wanted to through up, but he didn't have much time to think about it because he was using all his strength to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow. Then he saw Gohan's chest rise a fall, and his eyes lit up. Maybe there was a chance!   
  
"Gohan?" Trunks said, kneeling at his side. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Does it look like I'm ok, fool?" He smiled. His voice was as gentle as it always was, only a little hoarse. He wasn't angry or annoyed at the question. He was disappointed in himself, if anything.   
  
"I'll take you to Mom," Trunks said, looking hopeful that he'd make it. "She can work miracles, I swear. She can heal you, I'm sure of it."  
  
Gohan shook his head and it was even more difficult to talk, "I'm not going to make it, kid. By the time you get there, it'll be too late. I'm fading fast..." He interrupted himself to cough up blood and he winced as the pain grew even more intense. "Take care of everyone for me.."  
  
Trunks shook his head, and the tears slowly began to fall as he looked at his friend with despair. "You can't give up! You can live, Gohan. Just hold on!"   
  
He picked him up but Gohan stopped him before he could take to the air. "I'm not going to make it, Trunks. I don't have much time left. I just want you to know that I'm proud of you before I go. You were the best friend any guy could have, and I was lucky to have you.... you helped keep me alive..." He seemed to speak slower and slower every second as Trunks cried. "Take care of everyone for me.... don't let the Androids triumph... Remember the anger you feel at them right now.... remember the anger you feel every time you think of the father you don't remember... beat them, Trunks.... kill them... for me..." Trunks was sobbing uncontrollably by now and he started to feel an all new hatred for them now that his only friend in the world was dying. "And be good to my daughter.... or son..... I don't want my child to feel abandoned by me... be there for my baby.... and don't let Videl name it something stupid..." Trunks smiled in spite of himself. Even when he was dying, he was cracking jokes. And a moment later, his chest rose and fell for the last time, and Trunks cried even harder as he held Gohan in his arms.   
  
And then, with a loud scream, Trunks was filled with overwhelming rage. He hated the Androids, but now even more so, and he didn't think that was possible. As if to show the rage Trunks was feeling, the rain began to pour harder, mixing in with his tears and leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. But he didn't care, all he ever cared about was his mother, Videl, and Gohan and now he was gone. And soon Videl and Bulma would be too, and so would he. It wasn't fair. None of it was. Why should he have to suffer because of someone else's mistake in creating those monsters? What did he do to deserve this horrible punishment? His best friend just died and it wasn't fair at all. He hated it. Everything. The only time he wasn't reminded of the horrible shape the world was in was when he was with Gohan. And now he was alone. He had to face them alone. It wasn't fair, and his sorrow showed in his eyes along with anger as they changed from the deep blue that they usually were, to a new shade of green while his ki rose and his hair turned to a golden blonde. He could feel it stand on end as his body was engulfed in golden light. And he stood panting, finally a Super Saiyan.   
  
~*~  
  
Bulma and Videl's reactions to Gohan's death were similar to his as he walked somberly into the house carrying his dead body, still a Super Saiyan, as tears rolled down his cheeks. Bulma and Videl came running into the room when they heard the door shut, and they were shocked when they saw him. Not only was he a Super Saiyan, but Gohan was... dead.   
  
"He died..." Trunks said miserably, choking as he cried. "He died in my arms.... those damn, merciless Androids!"  
  
Bulma and Videl began to cry now, Videl even more so than Bulma. Videl ran over to Trunks as he sat the body down on the floor, not knowing what else to do with it. She laid her head on his chest and cried out his name over and over again. She had just gotten married 9 months before and she was 8 months pregnant and now a widow. She felt as if her heart would break as she cried out Gohan's name, refusing to believe that he was dead and wished it would've been her to go except him.   
  
Bulma was sobbing as she held Trunks in her arms, trying to get Videl up off of the floor, but she wouldn't budge. She clung to his dead body like a child, as if it would bring him back to life if she held onto him a little longer. Her shirt was already soaked with his blood, but she didn't care. All she wanted was Gohan back, but she couldn't have him. And when his body disappeared to go to the Other World, she cried even harder, choking herself on her sobs, as did Trunks. She didn't understand what had happened, but Bulma had to reassure her.   
  
She pulled away from Trunks momentarily and picked up Videl from the floor. "Shh.. it's ok, Videl. He just went to the Other World."  
  
"It's not ok!" Videl screamed. "It'll never be ok! Gohan's gone and I'm carrying his child! What am I supposed to do without Gohan? How are the Androids going to be defeated if he's not here? How am I going to support a baby without him? How can I live without him?"  
  
She was hysterical as Bulma held her. "I'll help you take care of the baby. You'll be fine."  
  
"I'll help too," Trunks said as he wiped away a river of tears. "And I'll kill those damn Androids if it's the last thing I do!"   
  
Videl and Bulma looked astonished at first, but Videl seemed a little relieved and grateful as she went to pull Trunks into her embrace. And they all stood there, crying and staring at the place where Gohan once lay, not knowing what else to do with themselves.   
  
~*~  
  
It was another hour before everything quieted down a little bit. Videl was in Bulma's bedroom, relaxing, or so she thought. She didn't want Videl to get too upset in her condition.   
  
Trunks was sitting in a corner looking out the window when Bulma came into the kitchen to fix them dinner. She noticed him staring out the window and asked him, "Are you hungry, Trunks?"  
  
Trunks shook his head slowly. "I'm not hungry."  
  
Bulma sighed and fixed dinner for Videl, but she hardly even touched it. All she did was sit in Bulma's bedroom and cry, and by 8 o'clock that night, she was exhausted. Bulma let her sleep beside her, but Trunks never slept. He sat on the roof of their house, not bothering to change his clothes that were soaked with rainwater, tears, and Gohan's blood, and watched the wind blow the trees and wished that he could hear Gohan's voice again... to hear him laugh one more time.... to train with him again... to see him scratch his head in that stupid way again. Everything seemed to crash and burn that day, and it wasn't fair. At 14, he felt like his life was over.   
  
"Trunks!" Bulma called, somewhat frantically.   
  
Trunks jumped back in the house through his open window and ran to find her in her bedroom. "What's wrong, Mom?" But he knew as soon as he examined the room further. Videl was lying on the bed, panting with Bulma holding her hand. She was in labor.   
  
"Get a doctor," Bulma said, as she tried to coach Videl through her contractions. "I don't think she'll make it to a hospital in time. Hurry!"  
  
Trunks ran out of the house and got the nearest doctor. The doctor was an old pro, and probably retired, but at least she knew what she was doing. And Bulma wasn't wrong. It wasn't long after that that Gohan's baby girl was born, right there in Bulma's room. Videl named her Son Pan Chichi, just as Gohan wanted.   
  
~*~  
  
Trunks came in later that day to see them. Videl smiled when he came in, happy to see someone. She was holding her daughter and smiling wide. All the depression from the night before seemed to vanish.   
  
"Hey, Videl," Trunks said as he neared the bed. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine," Videl said, then lifted her daughter towards Trunks. "Do you want to hold her?"   
  
"Sure..." Trunks said in response, a little hesitant.   
  
He walked over to her and took the baby gently in his arms. She had big black eyes and soft black hair and she seemed to smile when she saw Trunks. He smiled back as she gripped her whole fist on his thumb, surprised at the strength she had even as a baby.   
  
"It's funny how life works, isn't it?" Videl said, and he looked up. "One minute, I'm depressed and sure that life was no longer worth living, and then, I'm so happy it's unbelievable. One minute, Gohan's dead, and the next, our daughter is born. It's not fair he's dead, but I'm happy he gave me Pan. He gave me something to live for."  
  
Trunks smiled and gazed at the little girl in his arms. "He gave me something to live for too." And then, he lowered his tone so only Pan could hear him, even though she didn't understand him, "I'm going to be there for you, little Pan. I'm going to defeat those Androids so that you never have to worry about anything. I'll be the brother you'll never have.... I'll always protect you. You'll always be safe, little Pan. Always. I'll never let you down." And he never did.  
  
Back to the Present...  
The next week of Trunks' life went by very slowly for him. He was so confused he didn't know what to do with himself. Whenever he saw Pan, his heart just melted and he felt tongue tied, like he was just now going through puberty at 32. He tried to force images of Pan out of his mind, to stop thinking about her in that new light and to start thinking about her as the little girl he watched grow up again, but it didn't work. Every time he saw her, the feelings would grow stronger, and by the end of the week, Trunks was going crazy.   
  
Gohan spent that week watching over his family, not yet revealing himself to Trunks, the only one that would be able to see him. He would sit around and watch how they lived now, watching over their daily activities, especially those of Videl and Pan. But more than once, watching them brought back memories, making him feel terribly lonely. But he enjoyed it anyway, and watching how strong Pan was when she trained with Trunks, filled him with a new amount of pride for his only child. It always surprised him that she was so much like her mother and that she looked so much like a Son. Watching her made him hate the Androids even more for killing him without being able to see his daughter grow up, but he was thankful for Trunks, and he knew he always protected her.   
  
In Pan's point of view, the week with Trunks acting weird and a little distant was very confusing. She couldn't figure out what was wrong, and when she asked him, he was quick to say that he was fine, but she knew better. She'd been like his little sister ever since she was born, and she followed him everywhere as soon as she learned how to walk. Her life always revolved around Trunks, and she could hardly remember when she didn't tag around with him everyday. When she was little, she would even sneak into Trunks' room at night when she had nightmares instead of staying in her house next door and going to her own mother for comfort. Trunks never cared, he was determined to keep his promise to himself and Gohan and always protect her. He'd always been her best friend, for her entire life, and his weirdness for the past week worried her. She hadn't seen him in two days, he wouldn't even look at her, and she felt that she did something to him, which made her even more frustrated and sad. The last thing she wanted was Trunks to be mad at her, and she didn't know what to do. So instead, she drowned in her frustration one day sitting on a rock and looking at the scenery ahead of her, deep in thought, without knowing that Trunks was a couple feet behind her.   
  
Trunks pushed his ki down so that she couldn't detect him and just watched her. He knew how badly she felt, but he just couldn't face her, not until he got his feelings for her under control again. Gohan's words the week before kept echoing in his head, "You can't help who you love". He knew he didn't love her... he didn't even think he liked her... but those weird feelings wouldn't be ignored. He didn't know you could get this confused until now. All he could think of was the little girl with the orange gi and short black hair looking up at him in fascination with those wide black eyes and the beautiful woman she'd become, with her orange bandanna, red shirt, and white pants, and those same black eyes that still look at him with a mild amount of fascination. He started to feel like a younger version of Master Roshi more and more for looking at her differently.   
  
Just then, Gohan appeared right in front of Trunks' face, smiled, and said, "Boo!"  
  
Trunks screamed and immediately put his hand over his mouth, but it was too late, Pan had heard him. She turned around and her eyes lit up when she saw Trunks. Gohan moved out of the way as Pan ran up to Trunks and wrapped her arms around his neck.   
  
"Trunks!" she said happily.   
  
Trunks felt his insides turn to mush and she tightened her grip. "You act like you haven't seen me in years. It's only been two days."  
  
"It feels like longer than that," Pan whispered in his ear, sending a chill down his spine.   
  
Gohan smiled as he watched from the sidelines, with Trunks staring at him as if trying to make sure he was really there.   
  
"I'm really here, Trunks," Gohan assured him, and pointed to the halo above his head. "I'm still dead, I just came back to a visit for a few days... or weeks.... or however long it takes to convince you."  
  
"Convince me of what?" Trunks asked.   
  
Pan pulled away from him and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about, Trunks?"  
  
"I'm talking to your dad," Trunks said, smiling as he pointed over to Gohan.   
  
"My dad?" Pan said, staring at the spot Trunks pointed to. "There's no one there, Trunks. Are you feeling ok?"  
  
Trunks looked at Gohan with a confused look.   
  
"You're the only one who can see me, dumb ass," Gohan said, grinning.   
  
Trunks nodded in his direction and then turned to Pan. "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"You sure as hell don't sound like it," Pan said, concerned. "You just thought you were talking to my dead father. I think that calls for some concern."  
  
"No, really," Trunks reassured her. "I'm fine. Don't worry."  
  
"You've been acting weird all week. What's up?"  
  
Trunks hesitated as he glanced at his grinning deceased friend. He didn't know what to say to her, but he knew it wasn't going to be the truth.   
  
"I can't wait for this answer," Gohan said.   
  
"I just haven't been myself lately, Pan," Trunks answered, which wasn't a lie. He wasn't feeling like himself. He felt like Master Roshi. "That's all. I'm fine though. Don't worry."  
  
Pan nodded, unconvinced, but she decided to humor him. At least he was talking to her again. She couldn't stand the silence. "Well then, let's go train!" She smiled and flew to the place where they usually trained, while Trunks stayed behind to talk to Gohan.   
  
"Now what is it that you have to convince me of, Gohan?"  
  
"That you like my little girl more than you thought you did," Gohan answered, matter-of-factly.   
  
"I think you're confused, Gohan. I don't feel anything different for her."  
  
"I don't know why you insist on lying. I know whether or not you're telling the truth. And you're lying to me right now."  
  
Trunks sighed. - He knows me too well.- "Look, Gohan, I don't know what I feel. I don't want to feel differently for her, she's a kid."  
  
"But you do feel differently." Gohan smiled again at Trunks' agitated behavior. "Don't you?"  
  
Trunks sighed again and stared at the sky. "I thought you were dead. Why do you have to come back and torture me?"  
  
Gohan laughed. "It won't be torture if you just admit it."  
  
Trunks returned his gaze to Gohan and shook his head, without saying a word. Then he felt his hair being pulled, and someone knocking him down to the ground, hitting the back of his head hard. He looked up and saw Pan grinning in front of him.   
  
"What's taking so long?" she asked, more jokingly than annoyed. "Are you postponing your date with death? Are you afraid of me?"  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Why the hell should I be afraid of a little girl?"  
  
Pan crossed her arms and frowned at the "little girl" comment, but decided not to comment on it like she usually did. Instead, she took a more brutal approach. "I think you are scared of a 'little girl'. Just like your father was scared of Bulma. You're both cowards."  
  
"Damn," Gohan said, laughing. "That was wrong."  
  
But Trunks didn't think it was funny. He quickly got up and stared at Pan in anger. She knew he hated being called a coward, but she took the risk anyway, and recognizing the look in his eyes to be one that says, "I'm going to kill you" she quickly flew away.   
  
Trunks turned to Gohan then and said, "Excuse me while I kill your daughter" before taking off after her.   
  
Gohan shook his head and smiled. He knew that Trunks was falling in love with Pan, and he knew that Pan felt the same way, he just had to push Trunks into admitting it to her, because he knew how stubborn Pan could be, seeing as how she has Videl's genes, and he knew she wouldn't confess her feelings for Trunks at the moment. It would have to be up to him if he wanted to give Bulma and Videl grandchildren.   
  
He started to fly after them, thinking that one of them was probably half dead by now, and said, "Kids. When will they ever learn?"  
  
~*~  
  
The next week went by as usual, Pan and Trunks spent their days training in the usual place, except now they had Gohan watching them closely. He was still trying to convince Trunks to fess up to his feelings for Pan, but he never succeeded. Everyday Trunks would convince himself that it was nothing, and slowly his mind was beginning to think that, but his heart wouldn't accept it, and neither would Gohan. The feeling was getting stronger, and it was becoming harder to hide it, except with Gohan. He had a knack for knowing just what Trunks was thinking, feeling, and what he was about to say before he even knew it himself. And each day was getting more and more frustrating for both of them.   
  
"Why don't you just admit it and stop torturing yourself?" Gohan asked him at the end of the week.   
  
"Why don't you get off of the question and talk to me about something else?" Trunks said. He was beginning to get annoyed with his friend's constant encouragement of something he wasn't even sure he felt. Ok, of course he knew he was falling in love with Pan, but he was too stubborn to admit it, not even to himself, let alone Pan.   
  
"Alright," Gohan decided to leave him alone for awhile. At least for a few minutes. "Let me ask you another question then. What are you getting her for her birthday?"  
  
"Oh, shit!" Trunks exclaimed. "I forgot all about her birthday." It was the next day and he had nothing planned. "I guess after the party my mom's giving her I could take her out."  
  
Gohan grinned. "Now you behave yourself when you 'take her out'. I don't want to be a grandfather yet."  
  
Trunks frowned and rolled his eyes as Gohan laughed. Even after 18 years of being in the Other World, he was still the same old Gohan. Same funny, yet annoying, Gohan.   
  
The night of Pan's birthday...  
Pan struggled as she carried a passed out and very drunk Trunks into his room, which was a very difficult task considering she was almost as drunk as he was. She flung him onto his bed, and stumbled backwards as she looked at him. She wasn't that drunk, she could see clearly at least, and she knew she would never forget that night, nor what she had done before he passed out. She just hoped that he wouldn't remember.   
  
-Why did I have to do that?- She thought, still concentrating on his sleeping form. - I hope he doesn't remember because I'll never live it down if he does. I guess.... I guess it was just temporary insanity that caused me to do it.- She smiled despite how angry she was at herself. - I do know one thing though... I will never forget tonight.-  
  
She then tried to walk over to the window so that she could jump out of it and walk over to her house, but the alcohol soon caught up with her. Her vision was blurry and she stumbled into a chair and passed out, still hoping that Trunks would forget what she had done moments before. That was all she could do: hope.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
I really got into that chapter. Hopefully, the other chapters will be as long as this. I don't know where the drunk thing came from, it just popped into my head one day and I decided to add it. I know it's confusing right now, but that's just to keep your interest, if anybody is interested in this story. Anyway, I'll explain what happened that night and what Pan regrets in the next chapter, along with an introduction of some new characters. And please review. I don't even care if it's flames, just review. I want to know what I did that was good and what I did that sucked and how I can improve. And if anyone has any ideas, let me know. I might use them. And please check out my other fics. There's "A Prince's Past", a fic about Vegeta and a possible G/V get together, and then there's my other fic, "The Utterly Impossible", which is going to be collection of different stories that would never happen in DBZ. I've been told the first story is funny. Anyway, please review. I'm begging! 


	3. Chapter 3

Hmm... not much to say. This chapter explains the incident that Pan regrets... along with some other stuff. So.. um... yeah... on with my other annoying author crap.   
  
Special Thanks to Reviews From:  
Brandon B  
Firebeauty  
Daydreamer  
  
~Symbols~  
-...- thoughts  
~*~ scene or setting change  
(A/N:..) Author's Notes  
  
Disclaimer: There's some original characters in this one, 4 that I mention... no 5 actually, but only 1 that'll make much of a difference. I know you can tell which ones are mine and which ones belong to the great Akira Toriyama.   
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Trunks moaned and turned over on his side, trying to open his eyes to look at his alarm clock, but only found that the sunlight cascading into his room through the nearby window blinded him and caused an overly severe pain. Among other things, his head hurt terribly, as if someone had dropped an anvil on it like in those cheesy cartoons, but only repeatedly. He turned back over on his back, letting out another agonizing groan, wondering exactly what the hell he had done to himself the night before. Summoning up his courage, he sat up in his bed and pried open his eyes, forcing them to be temporarily blinded. Once he began to focus, he was greeted by long legs in orange colored clothing at the foot of his bed, with one long arm at the person's left side. He turned his gaze upward to see the face of Son Gohan standing before him, his halo glowing even more so than he'd seen in the last few days, an unreadable expression on his face. He looked as though he was angry at first, but then again, it could have been that he was amused. He might have even been saddened or disappointed. It was hard to tell.   
  
"Have fun getting hammered last night?" Gohan's tone was a little harsh at first, but then it softened and his expression seemed to confirm that he was amused by something. Probably because Trunks was in obvious pain for his foolish mistake.   
  
"I got drunk last night?" Trunks asked, somewhat confused for a second. And then it dawned on him. He'd taken Pan to a bar, by special request, and he had indeed drank himself stupid while there. He was so drunk that he literally stumbled his way home, rather than walked, and soon after he passed out. But he didn't remember much more to the night than that. "Oh yeah.... I remember now.... and damn did I get drunk last night. I feel like I'm going to die."  
  
He held his head in his hands as an evil smile spread across Gohan's face. "I hope that'll teach you a lesson!" He was shouting because he knew that it would make his hangover worse, and sure enough, he was right. Trunks began to sink his head lower as he covered his ears and winced.  
  
"Alright," Trunks almost whined. "Just stop shouting, please. It hurts bad enough." Then he turned his head up and looked at him questioningly. "Why didn't you just stop me from doing it? You are like my guardian angel, aren't you?"   
  
Gohan sighed. He wished he could have, but it wasn't that easy. "I can't exactly make you do anything that you don't want to do. Believe me, I did try countless times to convince you not to, but you wanted to go, and I couldn't exactly tell you that you couldn't. You are your own person, you are perfectly capable of making your decisions, and, regrettably, my opinion doesn't really matter. It makes me wonder why exactly am I down here." But deep inside, he knew why. He wanted to come down and try to get his best friend and his only daughter together. He sensed a long time ago that something more would come of the friendship that Trunks and Pan had, but he knew that the age difference would stand in the way of them admitting what they really felt. He felt that he could help, that it would be easy to simply convince Trunks, who he'd known all his life and was closest to, to admit what he felt. Goku had made a special request to the Kais, seeing how much it meant to his son, and he was granted time on Earth to fulfill his plan. But it proved to be harder than he thought. Over the years, Trunks had matured enough and gained enough intelligence that it was harder for Gohan to manipulate him into doing what he wanted like he used to when Trunks was a kid. He was far from a kid now, and far too liberated in his thinking for Gohan's liking.  
  
"Interesting," Trunks said as he mulled over what Gohan just told him. So, he couldn't make him go after Pan. That was a relief to him. Now he could put all those strange feelings behind him without Gohan trying to make him believe in them, given that information. But of course he knew Gohan would never make him do anything though... or would he if he had the chance?  
  
Trunks snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a low moan from across his room, a female-sounding moan. He moved Gohan out of his panorama and he saw Pan slumped over in his chair stretching as she stirred. She appeared to have the same reactions to the morning as he had, the failed attempt at opening the eyes without being blinded, the terrible headache, then the successful attempt at opening her eyes, and her gaze immediately fell on Trunks when they began to focus.   
  
She gave a small smile as she muttered, "Hey.."   
  
"Hey.." he muttered in the same fashion. "What are you doing here?"  
  
She smirked, now fully awake, as she walked over to his bed. "What's the matter, Trunks?" She stretched out on his bed before him, positioning herself in a sexy, model-like pose. "Not used to having a beautiful woman in your room anymore, eh?" She laughed as his eyes widened at the pose she was in. It intrigued him to say the least, and those Master Roshi-like feelings began to resurface again.   
  
He shook his head, as if to get rid of them, and Gohan laughed at the obvious inner-turmoil that he was putting himself through. -Why does he have to be so stubborn? What's wrong with just admitting it? Must be the Vegeta genes in him...-   
  
"You know what I mean," Trunks said with a half smile. It was funny, just a few weeks ago she was Pan-chan, his best friend... almost his little sister... and now she was Pan... a beautiful young woman with a lively spirit and a heart of gold. It was indeed funny how life worked...  
  
"Well," she said as she laid down on her back, focusing on the ceiling as a sudden wave of panic struck her. She hoped and prayed that he didn't remember what she'd done on the way into the house... the things she'd said.... and then the action that finally ended the night, right before he passed out. "You passed out in front of the house and I carried you in. I was planning on leaving through the window, but I didn't make it as you can see."  
  
They both exchanged a smile as Gohan smiled to himself. It was obvious that they were good friends. They had an easiness that only friends could share, an easiness that he didn't even share with Trunks. They would make a fine match... if they would stop lying to themselves and give in to what their hearts were telling them.   
  
Pan sat up then and looked Trunks square in the eye. She wanted to know how much he remembered about last night. She knew that she'd never forget it, despite the fact that she was drunk. It was a night to remember... and an unforgettable walk home. "Just exactly what do you remember from last night?"  
  
Trunks scratched his head as he thought. "All I remember is... we played some drinking game, I think... and I got really drunk, obviously.... we walked home.... then I passed out."  
  
Pan felt relief wash over her and she silently screamed her thanks to whoever must like her in the Other World. Someone must, because her request that he not remember what she regretted was fulfilled. She looked down at her shoes then, disgustedly. "You also through up on my shoes."   
  
Trunks laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, much to Gohan's amusement. He'd definitely been around too many Sons. "I did? Sorry about that. I'll buy you some new ones."  
  
"Of course you will," Pan said with a smile. "Did you think I'd just let you ruin my new shoes without getting you to pay up?" He smiled back as she rose to her feet, ready to leave out the window. "Better go before my mom goes into hysterics. See ya, Trunks-kun." She waved as he called out a, "Bye Pan-chan" before she made her exit.   
  
He turned to Gohan when he heard him laugh again. He cocked his head to side, getting out of his bed and heading to the door when he smelled food, wondering what on Earth was so funny. "What are you laughing at?"  
  
"The look on your face..." Gohan said in between chuckles, as he held his stomach with his one arm and doubled over in laughter.   
  
Trunks looked confused at first, then it hit him and he blushed. He was referring to Trunks' reaction to Pan's wannabe-model pose. "Shut up!" he said as he left his room, leaving his deceased friend crying on the ground, still laughing hysterically.   
  
He got up and wiped the tears off of his face. Heading down the hall to the kitchen, he was silently thinking of new ways to torture his lavender-haired buddy, and possibly steal some of his food without him noticing. After all, spirits need food too.   
  
The night before...  
Pan smiled as she blew out all 18 candles of her birthday cake, and then looked over at her mother, Bulma, and Trunks happily. All four of them had become one family instead of two after Pan was born. It had always been a tradition to celebrate Pan's birthday at Bulma's, just the four of them, and then to have a special memorial-like service in order to remember Gohan and all of their friends who had died because of the Androids (excluding Goku of course, who died of that heart virus, and Chichi), all of whom Pan had never met, but still felt sorry for because of the sad look in everyone else's eyes, especially Bulma, who had known them all. Pan always wondered how she kept her sanity after that, but perhaps, she forced herself to for Trunks' sake.   
  
It seemed weird to Trunks as they bowed their heads and Bulma asked him to say something nice in memory of Gohan, with Gohan standing right next to him, grinning from ear to ear. But nevertheless, he did it, and Gohan looked pleased with the portrait he'd painted of a good friend, noble fighter, and a possibly good father if he'd been given the chance. Videl had to dab her eyes afterward, thinking of her dead husband, and Gohan wished that he could be there again and ease her pain, that a miracle would happen and the Dragonballs would magically appear so that he could be wished back and be able to protect Videl again. He wiped away his own tears just watching her. (A/N: Corny, eh? Yes, I know. But I needed to add something in there and that's what came to mind.)  
  
But anyway, enough with the sad stuff. Pan then proceeded to open her gifts as everyone in the room began to be filled with joy again, and was surprised when not one of them were from Trunks. There were assortments of baggy shirts and jeans, training clothes, bandannas, even a few dresses that Bulma had snuck in, much to Pan's disappointment, but nothing from Trunks.   
  
"I don't get a present from you, Trunks-kun?" She looked sad as she asked, almost like a child again and Trunks couldn't help but feel sad as he looked at her.   
  
"Of course you do, Pan-chan," Trunks said, smiling to reassure her. "Just a different kind of present."  
  
She raised an eyebrow then, more confused than intrigued. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
He sat down in the chair next to her as their mothers chatted about something, Videl absentmindedly folding and organizing Pan's new clothes. He smiled warmly at Pan, and the room suddenly felt like it was 500 degrees in Pan's point of view. "How would you like to go somewhere with me tonight? Anywhere you want. That's my present to you."   
  
She smirked as she pondered his proposition. -A night alone with Trunks. Wouldn't miss it for the world.- "Sure, Trunks. Sounds good to me." She got out of her chair and told her mother that she was leaving as they walked out of the house and down the street, with Gohan close behind, curious as to where they were going.  
  
"Where exactly do you wanna go, Pan-chan?" He asked her as they walked.   
  
"Hmm..." She stopped and thought about it, and then smiled when it came to her. "A bar." Trunks and Gohan's eyes widened with surprise and they both repeated what she'd said as if they didn't hear her correctly. "Yes, a bar," She said again, proudly. She felt like an adult and she wanted to be treated like one. No better way than going to a bar, right?  
  
"Are you sure Pan-chan?" Trunks asked as they began to walk again.   
  
"Yep," She said, flashing the Son grin that he'd come to love on her. "I'm sure."  
  
Gohan nudged Trunks in the side to get his attention. "You can't take my little girl to a bar. Are you crazy?"   
  
"She's perfectly able to make her own decisions," Trunks said, forgetting that Gohan wasn't visible in Pan's view. "And it's not like she's underage." (A/N: My wonderful friend, Autumn, told me that the drinking age is 18 in Japan. If it's not, then it is in this fic. I figured drinking is something that she knows about, so why not trust her? *smiles evilly* Just kidding, Autumn!)  
  
Pan raised an eyebrow at Trunks, who appeared to be talking to an imaginary person at his right. "What the hell are you talking about?"   
  
"Oh... I... uh....," He stuttered as he groped for the right words to explain his odd-looking behavior. "I was.... thinking out loud... yeah, that's it."  
  
Pan narrowed her eyes at him, not really convinced, but it did make sense, so she just dismissed it and continued walking as Trunks ignored Gohan's pleas for him to reconsider and make her change her mind. "I know she'll think you're lunatic if you talk to me, but at least pretend to listen." Trunks set his gaze in front of him as he walked silently, trying hard to not to pay attention to him, only making him angry. "Fine, don't listen to me then." With that, he flew off back in the direction of the house, probably to go check on Bulma and Videl, as he had been doing whenever he wasn't probing Trunks to tell Pan that he loves her.   
  
~*~  
  
They stopped in front of a little bar Trunks had mentioned earlier, "Larry's Bar", and Pan chuckled as she read what was below the name of the bar: "The Only Place That Survived The Androids, Thanks To Trunks Briefs". His picture was right below it, taken right after they were defeated. He appeared to look really surprised, either by the fact that they'd finally been beaten, or by the fact that they were so interested in snapping a photo of him.   
  
"You must be a celebrity here," Pan said as they walked into the bar. He was a well known person everywhere, and they were even mobbed by a couple of teenage girls on the way over, but she suspected he was even more liked here, seeing as how the owner seemed to "worship" him for his bar being the only thing that wasn't destroyed by the Androids.   
  
Trunks laughed. "You could say that."  
  
The owner came up to them then, a short, pudgy man with barely any hair on his head, and immediately showed Trunks to his "usual table" and offered him everything from drinks to food to his daughter and Trunks laughed at his kindness. In the end, he just ordered a couple of bottles of tequila brought over to him, which he put on his tab.   
  
"A couple of bottles?" Pan questioned, looking at him in awe. "Why so much?"  
  
Trunks shrugged as they were brought over to him almost as quickly as he had asked and began pouring some in a glass for Pan. "I don't know. No reason."  
  
But Pan wasn't convinced of that either. He didn't even use a glass, he just downed the bottles like in those movies where the man lost his wife, his girlfriend, his job, his everything, and drowns in his sorrow by getting drunk off his ass.   
  
Pan just stared at her glass as she watched him in awe, opening the second bottle. She wondered what was wrong, but didn't ask him. She figured if it was bad enough not to tell her, it was better left at that, since he would most likely tell her sooner or later. He always did. Feeling better, she took a sip of the liquid in front of her as a guy approached their table with a lady under his arm.   
  
The guy was about Trunks' height, and he had brown eyes and brown hair, cut in the same way as Trunks'. The girl had long, dark pink hair with light purple eyes and a smile as she glanced at Trunks and Pan.   
  
"Hey, Trunks," the guy said as he extended his arm. "Nice to see you again."  
  
Trunks smiled and shook his hand. "Nice to see you too, Nick." Nick was an old friend, or rather an occasional acquaintance, of Trunks'. He liked Nick, but he would never allow himself to get close to anyone except Pan, not after Gohan. He always felt that if he got too close to someone, they would leave him like Gohan did, even now after the Androids were long gone. He just couldn't let himself go through that pain again. But somehow, with Pan, it was different. Somehow, he knew she would never leave him, with him there to protect her. Always. "Why don't you have a seat?"  
  
Nick and his lady friend sat down as Trunks introduced them to Pan. "This is my girlfriend, Magenta." (A/N: Get it... Magenta? Pink hair... Magenta. I'm so clever.) Nick pointed to the pink-haired girl next to him and smiled at her.   
  
Pan was silent as the group began to talk and she hardly even drank the drink in front of her. She was battling the feelings that she thought she'd put aside a long time ago, the feelings that had suddenly escaped from their place in the back of her mind, the feelings that told her she wanted Trunks to be more than just her friend. But she knew that wouldn't happen, it couldn't happen. Trunks was way too old for her, and too much of a friend to screw it all up with their relationship if it never worked. And she had convinced herself a long time ago that he would always think of her as "little Panny-chan" instead of just "Pan". She would always be a child in his eyes, not the woman that she was now. So why did she suddenly believe otherwise in her heart? Why did she want to suddenly confess everything to him? Why now? Why tonight?  
  
"I know!" Magenta exclaimed. "Let's play, 'I Never'!" A few more people had joined the scene without Pan even noticing, and some of them were asking what the hell 'I Never' was. "It's a drinking game. We go around the table and each person has to say something that they've never done, and if you have, you have to take a drink. Make sense?"   
  
Everyone nodded and even Pan seemed intrigued as she snapped out her trance-like state. Trunks was beginning to get tipsy and would agree to anything at that point, and most of the group looked as though they'd do anything even if sober.   
  
"Alright," she said. "I'll start. I never....... smoked weed before."   
  
Almost everyone took a sip of their drinks, except Pan, Nick, and Magenta. Pan looked questioningly at Trunks, and he just said that he was dared to try it once. It was his turn then. "Uh.... I never..." A devious smile crossed his face as he thought of a way to embarrass Pan. "I never wore underwear on my head and sang 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'." (A/N: I have no idea where the hell that came from... just smile and nod like you know what's going on, ok? Ok.)  
  
Pan glared at Trunks while everyone else looked puzzled as to why anyone would ever do that. Pan reluctantly took a sip of her drink and everyone stared at her, then burst into fits of laughter. Pan was intent on redeeming herself, "I was 3 years old! Leave me alone!"  
  
The game went on normally as everyone calmed down and Pan thought of a way to get revenge on Trunks. She smiled when it was her turn, eagerly awaiting the uproar of laughter that was sure to come when she exposed one of Trunks' secrets. "I never... wet my bed when I was 15."   
  
Trunks looked like he was about to kill her as he brought the drink up his lips and sipped it, causing snickers from the rest of the group, except for another guy, a nervous looking one who never seemed to stop shaking and kept looking over his shoulder, who also took a sip of his drink. He looked like a paranoid drug dealer, and the guy who was with him looked confused, but didn't bother to ask the obviously fearful stoner, who'd legally changed his name to Kron (A/N: Kron... as in chronic... as in weed. I'm so tight with my names!) what brought on that incident.   
  
(A/N: Ok, I know you're probably wondering what the hell that had to do with anything, and I'm wondering myself, but I needed something else to put in there, so... yeah.... Basically, I needed to take up some room. Ok? Ok.)   
  
The game then took on a new purpose: for Trunks and Pan to continue to get revenge on each other. He pulled out every one of her secrets or embarrassing moments, as she did his. The group then began to visibly disappear and Trunks became more than a little drunk. Pan was drunk too, but still had enough sense to think clearly, unlike Trunks, who's language was so slurred he sounded like Mike Tyson.   
  
"I never thought 'carpe diem' was food!" Pan shouted, causing Trunks to growl and take a drink.   
  
"Well, I never thought that I was gay," Trunks said, only it was slurred a great deal.   
  
Pan smirked and took a drink. She was still smart enough, despite her drunkenness, to realize that Trunks' intentional insult didn't work very well. "No, but I always thought you were gay."   
  
Trunks looked confused, then realized that his revenge tactic didn't come out right. He was about to retort when Nick interrupted him.   
  
"We're leaving, Trunks," Nick said as he got up from the table, Magenta under his arm. Nick was a little scared and shocked at this point, and had no desire to know anymore hidden secrets or embarrassing moments of his lavender-haired associate. He learned more than he ever intended to about him, to say the least. "I'll... see you later." He said the last part reluctantly, given the new and unwanted information he'd received. Tonight was definitely a very amusing, eventful, and very frightening night.   
  
~*~  
  
"You know what, Pan?" Trunks said, the newly developed slur deepening as Pan dragged him out of the bar and down the street. "You are the bestest friend I ever had."  
  
Pan smiled in spite of herself. She tried not believe what Trunks said when he was drunk, but for some reason she found that he meant that statement. She knew how he got when he was drunk, and nothing he said could be reliable. He told her every bizarre thing you could ever imagine, and it used to amuse as well as entertain her when she was younger, but sometimes what he said was so strange it was scary.   
  
"Thanks, Trunks-kun," She replied, her own voice slightly slurred as she struggled to walk down the street, guide Trunks, see what was ahead of her through her blurred vision, and not collide with other pedestrians. - This has got to be harder than beating the Androids.-   
  
After what seemed like hours she finally reached Capsule Corp. She loosened her grip on Trunks and allowed him to regain his composure as they stood in front of the house, and she felt her insides turn to mush as she looked into his eyes. It was always his eyes that did it for her, his eyes that always told her when he was lying or telling the truth, his eyes that always told her that he was sincere when he made a promise, his eyes that told her when he was happy, sad, angry, whatever. He had that look that told you that everything would be ok, that as long as you stuck by him nothing would go wrong. And it was his eyes that she was most attracted to. Even when he was drunk she felt a closeness to him, now even more so for some unfathomable (A/N: That's a funny sounding word, isn't it?) reason.  
  
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to hear Trunks' complaints of his stomach problems, thinking that it was just the usual nonsense he spat out when he was intoxicated. But, she soon found out how right he was about the next thing he said.   
  
"I think I'm going to throw up," Trunks said miserably as he held his stomach.   
  
And sure enough he thought right. He leaned over and retched all over Pan's new shoes that she'd gotten for her birthday only hours before. That pulled her back to reality.   
  
"Oh shit!" Pan screamed in repugnance (A/N: Hehehe, another funny word.) as Trunks finished his little... um... "barf moment".  
  
"Sorry... Pan-chan," he said softly still holding his stomach. "I'll...buy you some... new ones."   
  
Pan shook her head in despair as she looked at her shoes, then looked back up to the producer of the vile substance that her shoes were covered in. She met up with his eyes again, and found that she had a growing desire to kiss him. She didn't want to live with her feelings another minute all of a sudden. She didn't want to be a coward and hide the fact that she had a crush on him. She hated the feeling, but she couldn't ignore the craving that she felt. Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, or maybe it was just temporary insanity. She didn't know, nor did she care. She knew what she wanted and she wasn't going to back down.   
  
"We better go home," Trunks said, after he spewed vomit once again, in a nearby bush. Then he looked up at a sign that read: CAPSULE CORPORATION and he grinned. "Oh! I am home!"   
  
"Trunks," Pan said softly, almost like a whisper.   
  
"Yeah?" Trunks said, squinting, hoping that he could see just one of her instead of three.   
  
"Trunks... I..." She stuttered. She didn't know where to begin, but in the end she just decided to blurt it out as it came. "Trunks, I have a crush on you. I always have, for as long as I can remember. I don't know why I'm telling you now, you're obviously not sober and you probably don't have a clue as to what I'm saying, but I'm tired of hiding it. I really like you, Trunks... I might even... love you..." Then without warning, she kissed him. Sure, his breath reeked of alcohol and he had just been vomiting, but she didn't care. All she cared about at the moment was her lavender-haired crush.  
  
But when she pulled away and noticed the look in the eyes that she loved so much, she instantly regretted it. She regretted everything, the confession and most importantly, the kiss. She couldn't believe she'd just kissed a drunk half-Saiyan who had just got done ruining her new shoes. Not only had she kissed him, but she'd practically went soap opera on him and "proclaimed her undying love" for him. The whole idea suddenly made her sick.   
  
Trunks' eyes told it all. He was shocked at first, then flattered, and then confused. If it wasn't confusion in his eyes, it was fright. Pan was sure of that. She knew him too well. But the only thing she cared about at that moment was that if he remembered in the morning, she'd never live it down.   
  
Trunks didn't say a word to her as he attempted to stick his key in the door, but found it to be more difficult than it should be. Pan was silent too, not even making a move to retreat to her own house. She was too shocked and confused and deep in thought once again. And once again an unexpected action from Trunks tore her out of her thoughts. He passed out and landed on top of her.   
  
- Under any other circumstances- Pan thought as she struggled to get on her feet. - I would greatly enjoy Trunks on top of me, I'm sure. But now is not so pleasant.-   
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours, she got up and carried a very hammered Trunks into the house and to his bed. And soon, after feeling a mixture of remorse and excitement, she blacked out and landed in a chair.   
  
Back to the Present...  
Trunks sighed as he sat down on the ground, his back leaned against a tree in front of the house, and tried to concentrate on meditating, but found it increasingly hard when he was trying to cope with his brand new feelings for Pan and trying to shut Gohan up at the same time. He'd never been so unhappy and so confused in his whole life, and he was beginning to wonder if the emotional drain he felt was even more severe than the drain he felt when Gohan died.   
  
He'd never get over that, no matter how happy life seemed to get. The Androids made him grow up quick, and made him fearful of everything and everyone when they got too close. Whenever he thought he liked anyone enough for them to be a good friend, or when he thought he was falling in love with a girl he'd been dating, he'd do something stupid to screw it all up so that if something ever happened to them, he wouldn't feel as devastated about it as he had with Gohan. It took a lot for Trunks to even trust someone enough to even talk to them more than a couple of times, except for women of course.   
  
Pan was the only exception. At first, he felt a little obligated to protect her, as a final good deed that he could do for his departed friend. But as she grew up and he began to train her, she grew on him, and they became good friends, despite the age difference. He felt he could always confide in her, and she felt the same way about him.  
  
It was almost as if Gohan died to make room for her, and to give him a new friend, like there was an expiration date to friendships. But it didn't appear to be that way with Pan, and he hoped it never would be. He hoped that their friendship would last forever, and more importantly, that these new feelings wouldn't ruin it.   
  
"Look, Gohan," Trunks said, getting really irritated with his ramblings. "I don't want to hear about how me and Pan's kids would look if we had any. I don't care about what a cute couple we'd make. I don't even care about how much it would mean to you if we got together, at the moment. All I care about right now is meditating, and if you screw that up again and break my concentration, I swear I'll-"  
  
"You'll what?" Gohan was getting irritated himself. He was tired of staying on Earth, without being able to talk to anyone besides Trunks. It was getting increasingly frustrating to convince him, and this deceased Son was far from happy. "You'll do what, Trunks? Kill me? Send me to the next dimension? I got news for you, Trunks. I've been there and back."  
  
His tone surprised Trunks. He hadn't expected him to react that way. He expected him to be the same cheerful, nonchalant Gohan. "Ok, so there's not much I can do to you. Why's it so important that you get us together anyway?"  
  
"Because," Gohan said as he leaned against the tree Trunks was sitting in front of. "I know you need convincing, otherwise you would just ignore your feelings and not act on it. You'll never know what you had... you might even come to regret ignoring your feelings."  
  
"What makes you think you could convince me?"  
  
"I've never failed before. Ever since you were a kid I could always convince you of anything I wanted. Whenever you had a nightmare, only I could convince you that the monster wasn't real. Whenever you were afraid that you'd never become a Super Saiyan I always convinced you that you would in time. I figured nothing has changed."  
  
Trunks smiled as memories of him and Gohan clouded his mind. It was true, there was no denying it. He just didn't want it to be true. Trunks was even seconds away from admitting to Gohan what he really felt for Pan, until he told him that information. Gohan still had his touch.  
  
"Let me ask you this, Trunks," Gohan said as he sat down next to Trunks. "Why is this so hard for you to admit? Why can't you just admit it to me at least?"  
  
Trunks sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what I feel. It's weird. One day she was my friend who happened to be a girl, and the next day she's an actual woman."  
  
Gohan laughed. "Most girls do turn into to women, Trunks. Then again, some guys do too..."  
  
Trunks laughed and suddenly felt better than he had in a long time. -Leave it to Gohan to make me feel better.- He then tried to meditate again, but after about 5 minutes, he was interrupted.   
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
Trunks opened one eye when he heard an unfamiliar, female voice, then the other. In front of him was a short woman with fiery red hair, the crayon shade of red. She had big, anime-style, blue eyes and a beautiful smile, and suddenly Pan was the farthest from his mind as he stood up.   
  
"You're Trunks Briefs, aren't you?" She asked.   
  
"Yes, I am." He replied, smiling.   
  
Gohan recognized the look in his eyes and panicked. "Oh shit..."  
  
"So your mother is Bulma Briefs?" She asked, making sure she had the right person.  
  
"Yes." - How many other Briefs' can there be around here?-  
  
She smiled again and extended her hand. "My name is Pyra Flame (A/N: I hope you get where that name came from.). I'm applying for the lab assistant job."  
  
Trunks narrowed his eyes, confused for a moment, then he remembered. His mother had put an ad in the paper for an assistant, after months of complaining about needing the extra help, and so far she'd been the only to respond. Then he wondered if she was just dumb or she didn't notice the huge the sign that plainly read, Capsule Corporation in front of the house. "Oh, ok. I'll take you right in to see my mom."   
  
Gohan groaned and smacked himself as Trunks and Pyra disappeared into the house. If Gohan still knew Trunks like he thought he did, that look could only mean one thing: his trip to Earth might just be in vain.   
  
A couple hours later...  
"Thanks for the tour, Trunks," Pyra said as Trunks walked her out. "You've been really kind to me today."  
  
"No problem," Trunks said, smiling. He had grown to like her over the past few hours that they were together, and even gathered some information about her, like that she was 28 and she had 2 brothers... the usual bullshit and unimportant information gained from small talk. "It was my pleasure."  
  
"Since I'm working here now," She smiled. "I'll get to see a lot more of you then.... I hope."  
  
Trunks' eyes widened at how forward she was. "I hope so too."  
  
"Damn it!" Gohan screamed, having been a witness to what was going on. "Don't you want to be with my Pan-chan! Don't you want to have my grandchildren! Oh Kami.. I sound like my mother..."   
  
Trunks ignored him, as usual, and continued, "Would you like to go out with me sometime?"   
  
"Is that a company policy?" Pyra teased. "To go out with the lab assistants?"  
  
Trunks grinned. "No, not exactly."   
  
Pyra rubbed her chin, as if trying to think it over, but in all reality she had long since made up her mind about Trunks Briefs. She'd grown to like him over the past few hours and would be more than happy to go out with him, among other things she'd like to do with him. After all, this was the man who single-handedly saved the entire world from the Androids, not to mention his mother owned Capsule Corporation. She just didn't want to seem too eager to date him.  
  
She pulled a pen out of her pocket, grabbed his hand, and scribbled down her name and number. "Call me later." She turned around and waved as she walked toward her house.   
  
Trunks waved back and smiled. For the first time in weeks he felt sure of something. He was sure that Pyra was just what he needed, someone to take his mind off of this thing with Pan, a sort of stress reliever. He didn't care what Gohan said about regretting it if he turned his back on his feelings for her, he figured Gohan was just wrong for once.   
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gohan started his verbal assault once again. "Didn't I just tell you that you could regret not going after my daughter for the rest of your life? And now you make a date with some tramp? What the fuck are you on? Did you do something more than just drink last night?"  
  
Trunks glared at him, but didn't reply until he was sure Pyra was out of earshot, and when he did, his voice was so calm and soft that Gohan could barely hear him, even with his advanced Saiyan hearing. "I don't want to hear your bullshit right now, Gohan."  
  
He turned and walked away from him, leaving Gohan to scream and curse in anger and frustration. He never wanted to spend so much time on Earth, not if the only thing he could do was talk to Trunks and watch people do things. He hated that Trunks was so stubborn and he knew he was probably using her as a distraction.   
  
He sighed and screamed again before going into the house, feeling an all new feeling of rage and despair, as was his daughter, Pan, who had just witnessed the entire scene between Trunks and Pyra, and was on the verge of tears.   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Ooh, look at that. Chapter 3! This wasn't as long as the other one, but almost. I hope you enjoyed it, and if anyone has any ideas about what should happen, let me in know in your reviews. And let me know what my faults are. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure the night at the bar will really make a difference in the storyline, it just came to me one day and my ideas don't go away unless I post them, so I figured why not write it in there? And, of course, I gotta do some self-advertisement: My other two fics are "The Utterly Impossible" and "A Prince's Past". Please check them out. Oh and see that little button on the left hand side of the bottom of this window? Yeah, that one! Click on it!  
  
Next Chapter: Ok, let's see. Trunks + Pyra = 2 angry Sons. Pan's going nuts, Gohan's going nuts, Trunks is getting ass. (No, there isn't a lemon or anything like that.) Anyway, Pan reflects on what her feelings for Trunks really mean, and oh, what's this? Dinner at Bulma's? Pyra and Pan in the same room? Dun Dun Dun! The shit's definitely going to hit the fan! 


	4. Chapter 4

I feel really special. Seven people to review the last chapter. Hehe... there's a longer Author's Note at the end, since these things tend to get long and annoying.   
  
Special Thanks To Reviews From:  
Pan-Chan  
ills  
pan-chan16k  
Badtzzy  
Starlight  
Lithium-Like- Thanks for reviewing all three chapters!  
dbz_girl22  
  
~Symbols~  
-...- Thoughts  
(A/N:...) Author's Notes (a.k.a. annoying interruptions throughout each chapter, if any. I'm trying to cut down.)  
~*~ Scene or Setting Change  
  
Disclaimer: I do not, never have and never will, own DB/Z/GT. I do, however, own Pyra, another original character that'll be introduced at the end, and my Piccolo and Frieza action figures that I recently found after about a year of searching.   
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Gohan sighed as he watched Trunks comb his hair in front of his mirror. He was so frustrated with Trunks' sudden interest in another woman that he was on the brink of insanity. If only he could talk to someone besides Trunks, it would be ok to spend some more time on Earth. But no, Trunks had to be difficult. - Damn Trunks and his Vegeta genes. Why didn't Bulma have a kid with Yamcha? Then maybe he wouldn't be so stubborn.- Then Gohan cringed at the thought of Bulma and Yamcha having kids. Sure, he liked Yamcha... but him having kids with Bulma... It was an unnerving thought to say the least. - They'd be blue or black haired geniuses with girl phobias...- He shook his head then he noticed Trunks looking at him weird. "What?"  
  
"You had the strangest expression on your face," Trunks replied before returning to grooming himself. He was getting ready for yet another date with Pyra. "Like you were grossed out or something."  
  
Gohan laughed. "I was. I was trying to think about what Bulma and Yamcha's kids would be like if they had any."  
  
Trunks turned around with an identically scared look on his face. "Don't even joke about that. I didn't know the guy, but from what I've heard... ugh!" (A/N: I just had to put some Yamcha bashing in here, although it's irrelevant. Hopefully, it entertained you.)  
  
Gohan laughed again and then his face became serious. "What has you so bent on dating this girl, Trunks? I've heard the questions she's asked your mother when they're at work, she can't be all that bright....."  
  
Trunks tried not to smile. He wasn't wrong, she was a few fries short of a Happy Meal, but still, Trunks liked her company.... Ok, let's get real here, he liked her body. Why else would he go out with her? And there was also the fact that she kept him away from Pan as much as possible. Trunks had barely seen or spoken to Pan since he met Pyra a month ago and he'd seen Pyra every night, much to Pan and Gohan's disappointment. But he didn't say all that when he replied to Gohan's question. "Well, she may not be that smart when it comes to common sense, but she's funny and fun to be around-"  
  
"But she's stupid!" Gohan said, interrupting him. He couldn't get over that. Why would you want to be with someone so dumb?   
  
"She's not stupid just-"  
  
"Slow? Retarded? Not the brightest crayon in the box? She has a few screws loose? She isn't playing with a full deck?"  
  
Trunks laughed. "She is a little slow, I guess."  
  
"A little?" Gohan's eyes widened. "She might as well be blonde for Kami's sake." (A/N: Sorry to the blondes out there, but you got to admit, that myth is surprisingly true in most cases.)   
  
"Oh shut up, Son Gohan," Trunks laughed. "You got to admit, she has a nice body though."  
  
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Does she? I haven't really noticed."  
  
Trunks shook his head and chuckled a bit. "Even when you're dead Videl has you whipped huh?"   
  
Gohan smiled. "What can I say, we are bonded forever." Now that he had Trunks in a good mood, now was time to ask the million dollar question. "Anyway, when are you going to dump this Pyra girl and go out with my daughter?"   
  
Trunks' face changed dramatically. He was no longer happy, but exceptionally annoyed. "Why must you ask me that everyday?"  
  
"It's the only thing I can do. I can't exactly talk to anyone else and I can't go back to the Other World until I get you two together."   
  
"Well, I hate to the tell you this, my friend," Trunks started as he reached for his coat and walked towards the door. "But it looks like you're going to be here for awhile."  
  
As the door slammed, Gohan let out an exasperated scream. - Why must this be so difficult?!- Then it suddenly dawned on him... - Trunks said, "...it looks like you're going to be here for awhile" not forever. Maybe there is a chance...-  
  
~*~  
  
Trunks whistled as he walked down the hall and to the kitchen to pick up a snack before going to see Pyra. On the way in, he noticed his mother sitting at the table, drinking tea and reading a magazine.   
  
Without looking up, Bulma asked, "Seeing Pyra again tonight?"  
  
Trunks stopped and looked at her with a confused expression. "How'd you know?"  
  
Bulma put down her magazine and looked up at her son. "Well, there's the fact that you are either on the phone or out with her these days. Then there's the fact that you're wearing that hideously strong cologne. And lastly, you're not carrying your sword with you. You never go anywhere without that thing.... it's weird..."  
  
Trunks smiled as he sat down next to her and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table. "You know me so well."   
  
"Well, I should. I am your mother..... and a genius."  
  
Mother and son exchanged a smile before Trunks got up, tossed his apple core into the trash, and headed towards the door.   
  
"Wait, Trunks," Bulma called.   
  
Trunks turned around and poked his head into the doorway of the kitchen. "Yeah, Mom?"  
  
She seemed to hesitate, not wanting to offend him. "Why is that you see her every night?" She asked, curiously.   
  
Trunks tried not to frown at the question that he'd just been asked, not only by his mother, but by his best friend only moments before. "Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
"No," Bulma was quick to answer. "Not at all. I was just wondering. You never seem to go sparring with Pan anymore, or even talk to her. It's odd, that's all. You never go without seeing Pan."  
  
Trunks sighed. "I know. I don't know what it is though. Pyra's just... I don't know... I like spending time with her."  
  
Bulma nodded. She knew there was something hidden there, some other reason why he was devoting his attention to her constantly, but she didn't think it was the actual reason for his avoidance of his best friend, that he was afraid of his newfound feelings for her. "Do you like her that much?"  
  
Trunks was slightly surprised by the question. Sure, he liked her lot, but probably not in the way she thought. "Yes, I do." Bulma nodded again, looking as if she were disappointed. "Is something wrong with that?"  
  
"No, it's just that... I don't know... I never pictured you with someone like that. She doesn't seem like the right person for you."  
  
"I'm not looking for a wife, Mom." Trunks was getting annoyed and itching to go meet Pyra.   
  
"I know that," Bulma responded, glaring a little at her son for using the tone that he had.   
"But, you should. You are 32 years old, it's time you settled down..... and Pyra just doesn't seem to be the person that you would pick to do that with...."   
  
It was true, but Trunks didn't want to admit it. And it was obvious that Bulma didn't approve of Pyra, but he didn't know if it was just because she was an employee of Capsule Corp., or if it was another reason. Instead of finding out, he put the conversation to a stop. "I better go now, Mom. See ya."  
  
When he disappeared out of the door, Bulma sighed. - He's not getting any younger. He better start looking for a wife. I need some grandchildren before I die.... damn Chichi, what have you done to me?-   
  
~*~  
  
Pan grunted as she drove her fist into the punching bag in her basement. Lately, that was the only thing that kept her sanity in tact. She couldn't talk to Trunks, because he was always out with that redhead. She couldn't spar with him, because he was always out with that redhead. She never even saw Trunks anymore, because he was always with the redhead. She was beginning to wonder if he was doing it on purpose, he never did that with any of his other girlfriends. Pan always came first.   
  
She stopped her assault on the punching bag and paled. What if he remembered what she'd done the night that they went to the bar and that's why he was avoiding her? Nah, that couldn't be it. It wasn't Trunks' style. He would've confronted her and made it known when she did something stupid or wrong or something confusing. And then there was the look in his eyes that had confirmed that he was telling the truth when he told her what he had remembered of the night. But it still didn't make sense. She started punching the bag furiously as she thought of what she'd confessed to that night. Maybe if she hadn't done that she wouldn't feel as bad as she did now.   
  
Panting, she threw her boxing gloves down and sat in a chair. - When did these feelings for him start anyway?- She went through every memory she had of Trunks, and she always seemed to always have those feelings for him. It could have started when he beat the Androids... no that couldn't be it. The feeling merely intensified, it didn't just appear. Maybe it was... yeah that was it. She couldn't help but smile at the memory.   
  
Flashback  
  
A 7 year old Pan sat on the ground in front of Capsule Corp. pulling up grass, bored out of her mind. She'd been worried ever since Trunks went into the past to help defeat the Androids. She was angry with him for being so foolish and upset that he might never come back. It was odd, her feelings for him grew into something that her young mind didn't quite understand. She sighed and laid on her back. - I wish Trunks-kun would come back. It's scary here without him around.-   
  
As if on cue, something suddenly appeared on the front lawn. Pan jumped up and ran over to it, and once she saw the word "Hope!" written on the capsule-like vehicle, she instantly knew.   
  
The time machine popped open and out stepped Trunks. He smiled as Pan ran up to him and jumped up into his arms, knocking him backwards a little bit. "Trunks!"  
  
"Hey, kiddo!" Trunks said happily as he hugged her. It was good to be home. "How's everything around here?"  
  
"As good as it gets with the Androids still here," Pan said with a slight frown, then she perked up a bit. "Mom and Bulma are still alive, if that's what you mean."   
  
Trunks smiled and carried her into the house after enclosing the time machine in it's capsule. "Did ya miss me, little one?"  
  
Pan smiled and nodded while gripping tighter on the older Saiyan's neck. "Of course I missed you! I was going crazy, Trunks!"   
  
Trunks smiled. "I missed you too, Panny-chan."  
  
End Flashback  
  
Pan sighed as she got up. If that feeling was something she'd been harboring for over ten years, then it was bound to be strong by now. Yep, she was sure of it. She'd fallen in love with Trunks Briefs. It wouldn't be a problem if he'd felt the same way. Thinking of Pyra, she started another onslaught of punches and kicks to the punching bag, but it was destroyed by her force. She'd kicked a hole straight through it.   
  
Sighing again, she carefully took down what used to be a punching bag, and threw it to the side, where hundreds of other punching bags lay on the floor, all of which destroyed by her rage.   
  
- If I keep this up- she thought as she headed up the stairs. - Mom's going to think I need anger management.-   
  
The Next Day...  
Bulma was looking at a cook book while making dinner when the doorbell rang. Trunks eagerly ran over to the door, but skidded to a stop when Bulma called him into the kitchen.   
  
"Hmm?" He asked while looking at the food she was cooking, his mouth watering a little.   
  
"We're having dinner guests tonight," Bulma said without looking at him.   
  
"We?" Trunks asked curiously, reverting his attention to his mother. "Dinner guests?"  
  
"Were you planning on going out with Pyra again?" She sounded annoyed as she asked the question.   
  
"Yeah," He replied as the doorbell rang again. "That's probably her right now."  
  
"Well, invite her in for dinner," Bulma told him. "Because you are not going out tonight, young man. I've invited some special people over for dinner and I want you to be here."   
  
"Need I remind you, Mother," Trunks said harshly. "That I am a grown man and I can do whatever I want."   
  
Bulma turned around and glared at her son, a frying pan in her hand. "Need I remind you that I am your mother and I have a FRYING PAN IN MY HAND!"   
  
Trunks whimpered and ran to answer the door as fast as he could, where someone was knocking and ringing the doorbell impatiently. There was one thing he knew his mother got from Chichi: that horrible frying pan. It made him go from "a grown man" to a scared little boy in a matter of seconds.   
  
"Smooth move," Gohan said, who was leaning against a wall next to the front door, a smirk on his face.   
  
Trunks rolled his eyes and answered the door. His blue eyes shined brightly when he was embraced by Pyra and pulled into a passionate kiss.   
  
"I missed you, Trunksie-poo," Pyra said in a baby voice. (A/N: *Gag, gag, cough, cough*)   
  
"I missed you too, Pyra-poo," Trunks said in the same way.   
  
"Can we say, gag me?" Gohan said, making gag noises.   
  
But the person that caught his attention, who was making the same gestures, was none other than Son Pan, standing behind Pyra in the doorway with her mother at her side. She looked even more amazing than he remembered, and his heart suddenly made a detour and ended up in his throat.   
  
-Yeah, that's Gohan's kid, alright.- Trunks thought, referring to the gag gestures that she was making.   
  
Videl nudged Pan in the side. "Pan, don't be rude."  
  
Pan rolled her eyes then turned her attention to Trunks and Pyra, who still hadn't moved. "Well can we get into the house or what? I'd like to eat sometime this century."  
  
Trunks' eyebrows rose as he and Pyra moved out of the way, allowing Videl and Pan to step inside. "Wait a minute. You're our dinner guests?"  
  
Videl nodded in answer to his question and went into the kitchen. Pan turned and glared at her friend and his girlfriend before walking into the kitchen herself.   
  
Gohan chuckled a bit. "I think my daughter's going to kick your ass, Trunks."  
  
"Uh, Pyra," Trunks started. "We have to stay for dinner so... why don't you go on into the kitchen and have a seat." Once she was out of sight, Trunks turned to Gohan and whispered, "Why would she kick my ass?"  
  
"Oh c'mon now, Trunks," Gohan started. "Are you really that stupid? You haven't seen or talked to her in a month. Isn't that reason enough?"  
  
Trunks sighed. "Yeah I guess you're right."  
  
With another sigh, he and Gohan headed into the kitchen, both with very different attitudes about what Pan might do to Trunks, or even Pyra. While Trunks was terrified, Gohan was smiling from ear to ear. He needed to watch a good fight.   
  
~*~  
  
"So, Pyra," Videl started, making dinner conversation with the other two human women, the only two people that weren't eating like there was no tomorrow. "I hear you work for Bulma now."  
  
"Yes, I do," Pyra replied, while making a sickening face towards Trunks, who's mouth was covered in food. "For about a month now."   
  
Pan smiled evilly and stopped eating long enough to be a smart ass "Wow! And you're working Trunks too! Keeping it all in the family, eh?"   
  
Gohan burst out laughing, Trunks and Pyra looked shocked, and Bulma couldn't help but smile while Videl gasped. "Pan!"   
  
"What?" Pan asked, smiling innocently at her mother, but turning it into an evil smirk Trunks' way before going back to her food.   
  
"I'm sorry," Videl apologized to Pyra. "Anyway, what were you doing before you came to Capsule?"   
  
"She was probably a whore," came Pan's voice from across the table, creating more laughter from her dead father and a failed attempt at stifling back a smile from Bulma.   
  
"Actually," Pyra said, ignoring Pan's comment. "I worked for a corporation in the States."  
  
"Really?" Once again Pan opened her big mouth. "Were you fucking the boss's son there too?" That comment earned a kick from Trunks, which earned an even harder kick from Pan, making Trunks let out a small moan. Bulma bit her lip to keep from laughing, while Gohan was practically rolling on the floor.   
  
"Pan, what's gotten into you?" Videl demanded, outraged at her only daughter's behavior.   
  
"Nothing," Pan answered after taking a drink. "I'm just filling in the blanks. It sounds to me like she goes around looking for a job at a big corporation so that she can grab the boss or the boss's son, whichever comes first. She sounds like a gold digger to me."  
  
"I never thought of that," Bulma thought out loud, while tapping her lip with her pointer finger. "It actually makes sense."  
  
"Mom!" Trunks was fuming. "Pan! What the hell is wrong with you people?"  
  
"This totally made my day!" Gohan said, in between laughs.   
  
"Well I'm sorry that I don't like her very much," Pan answered. "Why should I? She takes my best and only friend away and I'm supposed to be joyful about it?"  
  
"It sounds to me like you're being a spoiled brat," Pyra snapped, making everyone else in the room stop what they were doing and stare at her, wondering where this sudden surge of courage came from.  
  
"How so?" Pan asked, getting slightly irritated with her assumptions. After all, it was ok for her to assume, but for Pyra, hell no!  
  
"Uh oh," Gohan said, grinning devilishly, then added in a taunting tone, "Someone's going to die."  
  
"Well, you had Trunks all to yourself for so long that when he finally brings someone else into his life, you get angry," Pyra explained, while leaning back in her chair, pleased with herself.   
  
"Ok," Pan said, standing up. "First of all," She counted out one finger on her hand. "I wouldn't mind if Trunks had a girlfriend, it's not like he's never had one before, but, for him to not be able to talk to me at all because he has one, that's what pisses me off."  
  
Trunks jumped up as well when he felt Pan's power rising steadily. "Ok, let's just calm down alright?"  
  
Pyra jumped up too, ignoring Trunks' protests. "Evidently, he found someone more worthy of his time instead of a little kid like you." And with that, she grabbed Trunks and kissed him once again.   
  
"Bad move," Gohan muttered while glancing at his very pissed off daughter.   
  
"A little kid?" Pan said through gritted teeth, balling her hands into fists at her sides, clinching them together so hard that her knuckles were starting to turn white. If she got any angrier, she was going to start glowing and possibly turn into a Super Saiyan. "A LITTLE KID? Since when is an 18 year old a little KID!"   
  
"Uh... Pyra..." Trunks said breathlessly once Pyra finally broke the kiss. "If you ever want to see 29, I suggest we get out of here. Fast."  
  
"No!" Pan said, walking around to the other side of the table so that she was in front of Pyra and getting into a fighting stance, her ki starting to glow around her. "We're going to fight, bitch! No one talks to me like that!"   
  
- Oh shit.- Bulma thought. - I'm going to need another lab assistant.-   
  
"Oh, please," Pyra taunted, while waving her away with her hand. "I might break a nail... or I might hurt you, little girl."   
  
Pan screamed and threw a punch at her, not a strong one, but enough to knock her out so that she'd shut up. Only it didn't connect. Videl grabbed her arm when it was just inches away from Pyra's frightened face, much to everyone's amazement.   
  
"Enough, Pan!" Videl shouted. "Let's go."  
  
After apologizing to everyone, she dragged a reluctant Pan outside, who was still talking shit back and forth to Pyra. She knew that she could easily get out of her mother's strong and back to attempting to disembowel Pyra, but she figured she'd probably kill her if she ever saw her again, and she didn't need to be in prison anytime soon.   
  
Trunks sighed and sat down. "That didn't turn out so great."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Gohan said, smiling. "I had a good time!"  
  
~*~  
  
Once Videl and Pan were out of the door, Videl finally let go of Pan long enough to smack her across the face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"  
  
"What do you think?!" Pan screamed back, rubbing the arm that Videl dragged her by and the cheek that she'd just hit. Videl was stronger than she looked.   
  
"Why is it so important that you see Trunks everyday?" Videl asked, while walking next door to their house, with Pan close behind.   
  
"I don't have to see him everyday," She answered. "Once in awhile maybe. What's wrong with him talking to me for at least 5 minutes? He's been ignoring me ever since he met that tramp."   
  
Videl turned around once Pan shut their front door. "That's no excuse to take it out on her. She's a very nice girl."   
  
"Oh yeah, she's a nice girl," Pan said, sarcastically. "So nice that Trunks didn't even bother to defend me when she was insulting me."   
  
"Why should he? You started the whole thing!"  
  
"Well how would you feel if some bitch came strutting into Dad's life and took him away from you? Wouldn't you be upset?"  
  
"Of course I would!" Videl answered. "But it's not the same thing! Your dad and I were in love." Videl's face softened when realization hit her. "Oh Kami... you're in love with Trunks aren't you?"   
  
"What?!" Pan snapped. "No way! Not at all!" But there was no denying it by the look in her eyes. Tears were slowly forming in the corners of the black orbs, tears that she tried to hide the best she could, but they didn't go unnoticed by her mother.  
  
Videl nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes you are. You've fallen in love with Trunks."  
  
Pan put her head down as she began crying, trying to shield the tears that flowed down her cheeks in two lone rivers. "Ok, I do. Are you happy now?"   
  
Videl walked over to her and held her sobbing daughter. - It all makes sense now. She's in love with him.... But why didn't I see this before, I am her mother and all? She's damn good at keeping secrets.- "He doesn't know, does he?"  
  
Pan shook her head, but couldn't say the words. It hurt too much to even think about it.   
  
Videl led her daughter into her room and sighed. - I hope she gets him away from that gold digger. Trunks would be perfect for her.-  
  
The Um.. Next Day  
Pan sat on the roof of her house early that morning, sulking and wallowing in her self-pity. She had a long talk with her mother about Trunks that night, and she had to admit, she felt a great weight lift off of her shoulders. It felt good to be able to share those feelings with someone, to be able to get it off of her chest instead of keeping it bottled up inside, but she soon felt depressed again at what she saw below her.   
  
Trunks was walking Pyra out of his house, at almost 6 in the morning. It almost make her sick to think of why she was there so early. She masked her ki and tried her best to hold back the tears that were slowly forming in her eyes as she listened to their conversation.   
  
~*~  
  
"I had a great time, Trunks," Pyra said, smiling at him. "After that little bi- uh... friend of yours left." There was something about the way she said "friend" that bothered him a little bit, but he decided to ignore it.   
  
"I'm surprised everyone in the world didn't hear what a 'great time' she had," Gohan said harshly as he walked up to the couple, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "By the way she was screaming, I thought Pan came back to kill her or something... that was until I opened my eyes..." Gohan cringed and made a disgusted face, like someone was eating worms or something in front of him.   
  
Of course Trunks ignored him, but couldn't help but blush a bit as he turned his attention to Pyra. "I'm glad you did. I'll call you."  
  
After they kissed and waved and all that other bullshit, Gohan turned to Trunks. "Would it have really killed you to control yourself long enough to go to her apartment? Or at least give a guy some warning first! My eyes and ears are scarred for life now, kid!"   
  
Trunks just smiled and shook his head as he turned around to head for the door, but he stopped and paled a little bit at what he saw on the roof of the next house: Pan. Their eyes met for awhile, neither of them saying a thing. Trunks was about to open his mouth, but she flew away before he could say anything.   
  
Trunks sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he turned to his deceased friend. "She hates me doesn't she?"   
  
Gohan smiled. "Maybe. But I doubt it." He put his hand on Trunks' shoulder as they walked closer to the door. "From what I've seen from the Other World, she's always idolized you. She's just angry. Give her time to cool off."  
  
Trunks stopped once they were inside. "It's still about me not seeing her all month, right?"  
  
Gohan fell over anime-style and got back up. "How can you have a genius mother and still be so stupid? And they call me dumb!"   
  
~*~  
  
Pan landed in the city and decided to take a walk to clear her thoughts. A million questions were running through her mind, but the one that stood out was: Why didn't he want to see her? Pyra couldn't have meant that much to him that he'd push his best friend away, Trunks never did that. He never even got that close to anybody, he wouldn't allow himself to. So why was he doing that now? And why didn't he give her an explanation, or even speak to her the night before? It didn't make any sense. And all Pan could do was try her best not to cry and call attention to herself, but she wasn't doing a good job of it. Totally absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the man who was walking in the opposite direction, and she ran into him.   
  
"Sorry," She muttered with her head down.   
  
"Pan?" The man asked.   
  
She lifted her head slowly, trying to remember where she had heard that voice. But when she saw his face, she instantly knew. "Xavier?"   
  
The man identified as Xavier smiled. He had spiky black hair and green eyes. He wore an oversized black T-shirt and black jeans, just as Pan had remembered him. "The one and only." Then he frowned when he noticed the tears in her eyes. "Are you ok?"  
  
"That's a dumb question," Pan said, half smiling.   
  
"C'mon," Xavier said, putting an arm around her and leading into the coffee shop that they were standing in front of. "I'll buy you some coffee and you can tell me what's bothering you."   
  
Pan nodded and soon found herself spilling her guts to her old friend. When Pan was 14, Videl made her go to a summer camp where she met Xavier, and the two 14 year olds became fast friends. She even told him about her crush on Trunks, and almost everything about her life, except for her being one fourth-Saiyan, which he found out on accident when Trunks blurted it out during one of his visits to the camp. It didn't bother him at all, it didn't change the way he felt about her, and in a way, in brought them closer together, since he was always an outcast because he had the ability to start fires with his mind. (A/N: Wouldn't that be the tightest power to have?) The two adolescents caused trouble all over the camp, playing jokes on all of the cliques of people that dared to make fun of them, like putting honey in their hair or raising their underwear on the flag pole, and even re-wiring the appliances in the kitchen, so that the light switch turned on the stove, etc., earning them their biggest achievement: getting kicked out of camp.   
  
"That little bitch!" Xavier exclaimed, after hearing about the night at Bulma's. "I would've knocked her out."  
  
"I tried," Pan said, smiling. "Believe me, I tried."  
  
"And Trunks didn't even try to defend you?" Xavier asked. "Or give you an explanation as for why he was ignoring you for so long?"   
  
"Nah, he barely even spoke to me the whole night." Pan looked sad as she said it, and Xavier knew why.  
  
"That's a damn shame," Xavier said, shaking his head. "And what a little whore! What are you going to do?"   
  
Pan shrugged, then she was struck with a sudden idea, like a bolt of lightening. She smiled evilly with an equally evil glint in her eyes as she did so.   
  
"Uh oh," Xavier said. "I know that look. What's up, Pan-chan?"   
  
Pan smiled and asked, "How would you like to help me pay a little visit to Miss Pyra?"   
  
Xavier smiled but then it faded into a worried frown. "You're not going to kill her are you?"  
  
Pan laughed. "Tempting, but no. I was thinking more along the lines of what we used to do at camp. I mean, I haven't seen you in 4 years, I think it's time we get back to old times."   
  
Xavier grinned mischievously and leaned forward. "Alright, I'm in. What's your plan?"   
  
Pan leaned forward and whispered in his ear about what kind of torture she wanted to put Pyra through, making him grin at every gruesome detail, while a very shocked, confused, and intrigued Gohan stared at them from the window of the coffee shop, wishing he could hear through glass.   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
There it is, Chapter 4, a little shorter than the previous two. I actually had this finished when I posted the third chapter, but I had to wait for reviews, ya know? And then there was the fact that school's starting Tuesday, so I figured I better hurry up and post this chapter when I had the chance. I wasn't really happy with this chapter, it was mostly dialog, but I had a hell of a time writing the dinner at Bulma's. I laughed my ass off at myself. And I know that this is getting dragged on and on and that Trunks should stop being such a wimp and confess, but I have to keep you interested, don't I? Oh, I have a little question to ask you people. My title doesn't really work, does it? I was thinking of changing it to "You Can't Help Who You Love", or something like that. Can you please let me know if you have any suggestions in your reviews. And as always, flames are happily accepted. Oh, and if you want to be emailed when chapter 5 comes out, just let me know in your review and leave your email address, ok? Ok. Now, on with the chapter preview.   
  
Next Chapter: Hmm.. this chapter is sort of undetermined, but I can tell you that Trunks and Pan actually talk.. er... argue and Pan and Pyra have another confrontation. And then the moment of truth: Pan and Xavier's plan for revenge!... That I have yet to discover myself... 


	5. Chapter 5

Ah! My last day of freedom.... I have to go back to school tomorrow... Grrr. Anyway, here's the next chapter, so that you don't have to wait longer than necessary. And here's the moment you've all been waiting for! Pan and Xavier's plan for revenge... along with some other useless stuff that leads up to it. Enjoy!  
  
Special Thanks To Reviews From:   
pan86  
waterprincess  
Starlight  
ills  
pan-chan16k  
Melfina-Pan  
Angel of Darkness  
Ashee- Thanks for both reviews!  
Mii-chan  
EternalDreams  
  
~Symbols~  
-...- Thoughts  
(A/N:..) Annoying commentary, better known as Author's Notes  
~*~ Scene or Setting Change   
  
Disclaimer: I look around and see nothing in this room that I own, except maybe for the clothes on my back... but then again... I didn't buy those either. So tell me, how can a poor bitch like me own something as wonderful and successful as DB/Z/GT?   
  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Gohan flew away soon, after witnessing Pan and the other man, who's name he didn't know yet, in the coffee shop, too close for his liking. They were whispering and giggling and the only explanation he could think of was that Pan had found herself a boyfriend to cope with the loss of Trunks. He didn't like that. He didn't like that at all. If that were true, then his chances of getting Trunks and Pan together were getting slimmer by the minute. -Damn it, Trunks! Now look what you did! She has a boyfriend and it's all your fault!-   
  
He muttered some more obscenities under his breath as the wind hit his face harshly, picking up speed as he got angry. But then, a thought crossed his mind. What if he was to tell Trunks about what he'd seen? If he was anything like a Saiyan was about the women they loved, he would either be madly jealous, or hunt this guy down and beat him to a bloody pulp. Grinning evilly, Gohan touched down on Capsule Corp.'s front lawn, and went to do just that.   
  
When he came in, he saw Trunks laying on the couch, his feet draped over one end while his head rested on the other. He appeared to be talking to someone, who Gohan assumed was Pyra, since his advanced hearing picked up a girlish giggle from the other end. Sensing his presence, Trunks looked up and smiled, but it faded away when he saw the serious expression on his best friend's face. Gohan tried his best to hide the evilness in his eyes, and he prayed to Kami that it worked. Apparently it did, because Trunks muttered a goodbye to his girlfriend and quickly hung up the phone.   
  
"What's up, Gohan?" Trunks asked, slightly worried. "You look like somebody just died." Trunks' worried facade became a panicked one at the thought. What if another horrible force was on Earth and was killing people? What if Videl was killed? Or... Pan? Trunks felt like his heart completely melted away at the thought, and he silently cursed himself for not paying attention to her, for not spending any time with her whatsoever, for not telling her he... loved her.   
  
"No," Gohan was quick to reassure him. He could only imagine the terrified thoughts that were going through the younger half-Saiyan's mind. "No one died, Trunks." Trunks felt a thousand pounds lighter and relief wash over him. He'd never felt so scared in his entire life, not even when the Androids were around.   
  
"Well, what is it then?" Trunks asked, sitting upright on the couch as Gohan came around and sat next to him.   
  
"I went and followed Pan, ya know, to see where she flew off too," Gohan started, trying to look as disappointed as possible, which proved to be a little hard, even though that was how he truly felt, but he felt his Saiyan deviousness kicked in even more at the thought of Trunks killing whoever it was that dare to be so close to his Panny-chan. "And I found her at some coffee house... with a guy.... and they were awfully close.... whispering in each other's ears and stuff like that...."   
  
Trunks' face was totally unreadable, but inside, he was fuming. He wanted to hunt this guy down and kick his head right off of his shoulders, and then crush it into a million pieces. He was so angry at this person for even looking at his Pan, let alone being close to her. - Wait a minute... MY Pan? Where the hell did that come from? Could I be jealous? No, this is Pan you're talking about... but lately I have been falling for her... Am I jealous? I guess I am... but he has no right to push up on her like that! No right! Damn little piece of shit bastard ass...-   
  
Gohan tried hard not to smirk at the various facial expressions Trunks was forming. It was obvious, his little plan at getting Trunks jealous was working. Mission accomplished.   
  
"You ok, man?" Gohan asked, returning to his normally concerned self.   
  
Trunks stared straight ahead, not bothering to look at Gohan as he nodded his head slowly. "Yeah... just fine." His voice was oddly low and dripped with venom, which made Gohan wonder if what he did was indeed the right thing to do.   
  
"You don't seem ok," Gohan said. "You look like you're about to kill someone... Are you jealous, Trunks?"   
  
Trunks slowly shook his head, then turned to face Gohan and smiled, looking like his normal self. "Why should I be? She deserves to have someone too." But it still bothered him, and he wondered why in hell she would behave so violently toward his girlfriend the night before and seem so hurt when she left that morning, only to go out and get herself a "boyfriend" hours later. He definitely needed some answers. "As a matter of fact, I'm going to go next door and apologize to her... maybe get a much needed sparring match in." He got up and practically dashed out of the door, leaving a confused and intrigued Gohan to follow him.   
  
~*~  
  
Pan and Xavier walked arm and arm past Capsule Corp. and to the next house, the Son house, laughing and talking and discussing their plan for revenge. They decided not to do it any time soon, but to wait awhile and get all of their plans sorted out and more organized before putting it into action, that way, no one would automatically suspect her of doing it. From what little they already had planned, this proved to be the biggest and most fulfilling practical joke they would ever play. They would have to work for years if they planned on ever topping this one.   
  
Just as Pan and Xavier were stepping into the yard, Trunks dashed outside his door and over to the next house. He turned around when he felt Pan's ki, and his heart once again felt the need to jump right out of his body, well, at least that was how he felt anyway. He stared at her for awhile, then turned to look at the man that had his arm laced with hers, and he almost growled. - Wait a minute, that's Xavier. I thought they were just friends... Gohan must have been talking about someone else.-   
  
"That's the guy I saw her with," Gohan said from behind Trunks, as though he read his mind.   
  
- What the hell...- Trunks thought, before he was cut off by Pan.   
  
"What do you want, Trunks?" Pan asked, annoyed.   
  
"I wanted to talk to you," Trunks answered, while glaring at Xavier, and then looking back at Pan. His violent side completely faded as he looked into her eyes, and he felt like a puddle of mush. "I wanted to... uh... apologize."   
  
Pan's glaring eyes turned into softer ones as she let go of Xavier's arm. "Oh?"  
  
"Yeah... maybe we can talk over a spar or something... maybe?" Trunks hesitated, feeling almost like a kid as he shuffled his feet on the ground, much to Gohan's amusement and Xavier's amazement.   
  
"Uh..." She hesitated as she turned to Xavier.  
  
"It's ok, Pan-chan," He said, smiling as he kissed her cheek, which made Trunks' ki rise a little, but he calmed down quickly and it returned to normal. "I'll talk to you later." He winked at Pan and then looked Trunks up and down before disappearing down the street.   
  
"Ok, let's get this show on the road then," Pan said, as she took off into the air towards their familiar sparring area. She was in desperate need for a good spar, she couldn't beg Bulma for more punching bags anymore.   
  
Trunks followed after her, along with Gohan, who was more intrigued with the conversation that was going to be held between the younger Saiyans, than the battle that would take place.   
  
~*~  
  
Pan touched down on the ground, followed by Trunks, then Gohan, and she immediately went into a fighting stance, glaring daggers at her opponent with her onyx eyes. She licked her lips as she tightened her bandanna and brushed some of her black hair over her shoulder.   
  
Trunks was temporarily mesmerized by her movements, but he quickly regained his composure as Gohan sat up on a huge rock above them to watch. Trunks got into a fighting stance of his own, waiting for Pan to make the first move, for he knew she would, he could almost feel her anger radiating off of her. He expected a good spar today, he deserved to get his ass kicked for the pain he was causing her. He mentally kicked himself for it as she charged at him, her fist extended. Just as he brought his arms up to block it, she faded out and reappeared behind him, catching him off guard. She swung her leg up and kicked him right upside the head, sending him down to the ground. She didn't waste anytime after that, for she was ready to fire a nice glowing ki blast from her palms, but just as it was fired, Trunks faded out and reappeared behind her. But she was expecting something like that from him, so she swung her leg back in a roundhouse kick, but he caught it and spun her around by it a few times before letting her go. She closed her eyes, expecting to hit a mountain or something of the sort, but she slowly began to float downward, and ended up skidding across the dirty ground on her butt. Growling, she pushed herself up and hurled an onslaught of punches and kicks at Trunks, which he blocked with some difficulty.   
  
"So," Trunks started, still blocking Pan's attacks. "What was all that about with you and Xavier?"   
  
"What?" Pan stopped her attacks for a second, startled by the question. That left Trunks open for a punch to the jaw, which sent Pan down once again on her butt. She stood up and rubbed her jaw. "What's that supposed to mean?"   
  
Trunks moved his head to side, away from Pan's fist, then started another punch, kick, block session, with Pan on the receiving end. "Well, you two seemed really close. I just wanted to know what was up with it."   
  
"I don't need to explain anything to you," Pan snapped, her leg somehow connecting with his chin. He stumbled backwards as she charged at him again, kicking him in the head, punching him in the stomach, and finishing it off with and uppercut to his already sore chin. He skidded across the ground a few feet, before sitting up. "Why do you want to know anyway?" She asked. "I didn't ask you questions when you ignored me for that Pyra bitch."   
  
Trunks stood up and threw a ki blast at her, which she dodged. He then charged at her and threw his fist at her head, which she grabbed. "Look, I'm sorry about that. I just... needed space..."   
  
After hearing his bullshit explanation, Pan kneed him as hard as she could in the stomach, leaving him hunched over, gasping for air that seemed to be unreachable at the moment. "If you needed some fucking space, why the hell was she occupying most of it? I know you can come up with something better than that, Trunks." She elbowed him, sending him all the way to the ground on his face. When he finally found air, she kicked him in the stomach again, causing him to have to search for air again. She then decided to back off a little, and not let her Saiyan side take too much control. After all, she didn't want to kill the man that she loved, just make him suffer a bit.   
  
Trunks stood up soon after on wobbly legs, still gasping a little bit. "Damn, girl... you've gotten stronger." - It's a wonder you aren't a Super Saiyan.-  
  
Pan smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, oddly like Vegeta, which was weird, since she had never even met the man. "Naturally. I don't have some redheaded bitch all over me 24/7, so I get to do a little training."   
  
Trunks growled as he rubbed his stomach. "What do you have against her, Pan?"   
  
Pan rolled her eyes. "It's like you weren't even there last night. I made it perfectly clear. I don't appreciate some bitch coming in here and taking you away from me. You're my best friend, Trunks."   
  
Trunks inwardly cringed at being called her best friend, for some reason that he couldn't explain. "She's not taking me away from you, Pan. I've had other girlfriends and you never behaved this way with them."   
  
"That's because none of them ever had you confined to them for a whole month!" Pan snapped, turning away from him. "You never even spoke to me, Trunks. I just don't understand how this bitch is so special that you can't even talk to me." She blinked away tears as she said the last part, and hoped he wouldn't notice the slight tremble in her voice.   
  
Trunks sighed. "I don't know what it is either, Pan. She's got a hold on me I guess.... I don't want you to hate me..."  
  
"I don't hate you, stupid ass," Pan answered, returning her attention back to Trunks, who smiled at the insult. At least some sort of normalcy was reached between them.   
  
"Do you still hate her?"   
  
Pan rolled her eyes. "Just because I don't hate you, doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to the bitch. I'm not going to kill her, don't worry about that."  
  
Trunks smiled, then it faded. "Ya know, you never did answer my question."   
  
"What question?"   
  
"I asked you what your thing with Xavier was all about."  
  
Pan narrowed her eyes at him, in confusion and annoyance for him all of a sudden prying into her life. But inside, she smiled at his concern. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
Trunks scowled and in an annoyed tone he answered, "You two were all close and stuff... laughing and talking and whispering in each other's ears at coffee houses and walking around with your arms locked."   
  
Pan's eyebrow rose. - He saw us at the coffee shop? How could he... I didn't sense him... He must've masked his ki... or something...- "Why the hell are you so concerned? You've got a Gold Digger Barbie doll drooling all over you." She smiled evilly and added, "Are you jealous, Trunks?"   
  
"I'm not jealous!" Trunks was starting to get angry for some reason, and he didn't bother to think before he spoke. "I just want to know why you would go around and act like what you claimed Pyra to be. A whore."  
  
Pan's eyes widened in shock, then they glared at him in anger, and she drove her fist back and punched him as hard as she could in the mouth. He flew down to the ground and blood spewed from his mouth. Pan leaned her face down to his as he sat up, both of them wondering why the hell he had just insulted her that way. "First of all, I am not a whore like you're little girlfriend! Secondly, the only reason I saw him at all was because we ran into each other by coincidence, and he consoled me because I was feeling like shit. And thirdly, he's not even attracted to me in any way, and he never will be because he's gay, Trunks. And if you ever call me a whore again, I will personally see to it that you are dismembered, blown up, and that you're ashes are flushed down the toilet, along with your little bitch of a girlfriend!" She turned around and was about to fly off, but before she did, she added with an evil smile that he couldn't see, "And I think Xavier has a little crush on you, and he tends to get a little horny, so you better watch out so you don't get ass raped tonight." (A/N: Sorry to any gay people that might take offense to this, I just couldn't resist. I don't have anything against gay people, I have a gay uncle in fact, I just thought this was funny. Don't kill me!)   
  
Trunks just stared after her retreating figure as Gohan floated down to him. Then his face recoiled in horror at the thought of Xavier having a crush on him, and he almost retched when Gohan put a hand on his shoulder. He jerked away, and Gohan couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. "Don't worry, I won't ass rape you, Trunks." He pretended to be crushed as he added, "I'll just... keep my feelings inside."   
  
"Shut up!" Trunks yelled, then smacked himself. "I can't believe I made such a fool out of myself."  
  
"Yeah, you blew it kid," Gohan said, then smiled. "Guard your ass tonight, Trunks. I saw the way he was looking at you." Trunks glared at the older man as Gohan laughed. "I'm kidding, calm down."   
  
Trunks stood up and held his jaw, which felt like it was broken. "Damn that girl can punch."  
  
Gohan smiled, then it turned into a serious face. "What are you going to do about the new damage you've caused?"   
  
Trunks shrugged as he dusted himself off. "Give her time to cool off I guess."  
  
"Sounds good," Gohan agreed. "Oh yeah," He reared his fist back and punched Trunks in the face, knocking him back down to the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. "That's for calling my daughter a whore."   
  
~*~  
  
"...and then I told him to watch out because you might ass rape him," Pan said to Xavier on the phone later that night. They had just gotten through discussing some plans for their joke they were going to play on Pyra, so she told him about her sparring match with Trunks.   
  
Xavier laughed at his end. "I just might do that... that boy does look damn good. Now I see why you're in love with him. I can't believe I never noticed before. I wonder what his backside looks like...."   
  
Pan laughed at her friend's antics. "Damn good, Xavier. Trust me."   
  
"I'll take you're word for it.... hey, you think I should go to his house tonight and come on to him? You know, scare the hell out of him as revenge for you?"  
  
Pan laughed as she pictured what Trunks would do if he saw Xavier come into his bedroom and come on to him. It would be priceless to see the look on his face. "No, that's ok. I'll get revenge on him sooner or later."   
  
"Damn," Xavier replied. "I was looking forward to that."   
  
Pan laughed again, and frowned when she heard her mother yelling something about getting something from Bulma. "Got to go, Xavier. I'll talk to you tomorrow so we can discuss 'Operation Scare-Whore-To-Death'."   
  
Xavier smiled on his end of the phone and murmured his own goodbye before they hung up and Pan headed next door to Bulma's.   
  
~*~  
  
Pan walked next door with a slight hop in her step, feeling better than she had in a long time. She was smiling to herself, thinking of what Xavier had said about jumping Trunks' bones, but the smile faded when she came to the door step of Capsule Corporation.   
  
In front of her, Pyra and Trunks were making out, or more like eating each other's faces. They looked like they were either cannibals, or either they were about to fuck right there at the door. Pan frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, wondering how long it would take Trunks to notice that she was there.   
  
Trunks finally felt her ki, after ten minutes of her being there, and slowly peeled Pyra off of him, with considerable difficulty. Trunks was about to say something, but his small girlfriend at his side cut him off, "What do you want?" Her tone was harsh, which amazed Trunks and Pan immensely.   
  
"Not that it's any concern of yours," Pan said, rather calmly for a change, as she moved forward, making Pyra step back a little bit. Pan smirked at her reaction. "I just came over to get something from Bulma."   
  
Pyra moved out of the way and pointed towards the door. "Well, go," she said just as harshly as she had said her last statement. "Or do you just like to watch people make out? Was that it? It was getting your jollies off, wasn't it?"  
  
"No," Pan replied, raising an eyebrow at the smaller woman, while taking another step forward, causing Pyra to unconsciously grab a hold of Trunks. "I was just seeing how long it would take for Trunks to sense me." She turned her attention to Trunks. "It's obvious you've been slacking off in your training. It took you a good ten minutes to realize that I was here."  
  
"What do you mean, 'sense' you?" Pyra shot back, annoyed, not only because she interrupted their make out session, but just because she was talking to her boyfriend. She didn't like the idea of Trunks being friends with Pan, and when she tried to use her powers of persuasion to convince Trunks not to see her, he all but went crazy on her for even suggesting such a thing, even though he didn't see her the entire month he was dating her anyway. But he had his own reasons, not because his woman forced him to.   
  
Trunks shook his head at Pan over Pyra's head, mouthing that she not mention anything about ki and Saiyans and everything, although it had to be obvious that he was not totally human to anyone, since he had beaten the Androids, who used ki blasts and such. But this was Pyra, she was a stupid whore. (A/N: I've been using that word a lot in this chapter, haven't I?)   
  
"Nothing," Pan said in answer to Pyra's question, smiling smugly. "I guess your puny little mind is too small to understand what I meant."  
  
Trunks groaned and slapped himself. "Pan, why do you have to be so mean?"   
  
"Well, she shouldn't have talked to me like that," Pan said in response, then turned her attention to the small redhead that was walking up to her, her hands balled into fists at her sides. Pan almost laughed at the look of intensity on her face.   
  
"Now listen here, girl," Pyra started, waving a finger at Pan. "I will not continue to be insulted by you."   
  
"Ok then," Pan said, while moving her aside so that she could get into the house. She turned around and smirked. "Just don't provoke me, and you won't get insulted. Simple as that."   
  
"Provoke?" Pyra repeated in confusion.   
  
"Ah, another big word? I'm sorry, I'll try to refrain from words above 3 letters."   
  
Trunks groaned in annoyance and was about to push Pan into the house, but Pyra did something unexpected. She walked right up to Pan, and smacked her across the face. Of course it didn't hurt much, but Pan was beyond pissed as the older woman smirked at her with satisfaction. That was it. Pan snapped.   
  
"Alright, you wanna fight me, bitch?" Pan said, getting ready to pounce on Pyra, but Trunks held her back by her shoulders, trying to duck her flailing arms in the process. "You better get your skank ass girlfriend before I blast her to the next dimension and back again!"  
  
Pyra just laughed as Trunks pushed Pan inside the house, and then he turned his attention to Pyra, trying to hold the door shut with some difficulty. "Don't do that, Pyra. Don't aggravate her like that. She's a temper-mental person like me. It's in our blood I guess you could say."   
  
Pyra just rolled her eyes and muttered a, "Whatever," before assaulting his lips once more.   
  
A few weeks later...  
Pan looked in her full-length mirror, and smirked as she tied a black bandanna around her head. It went perfectly well with her black shirt, pants, and boots. She crossed her arms over her chest in satisfaction, excited beyond comprehension. Tonight was the night. The moment of truth. After weeks of preparation and avoidance of Pyra altogether, Pan and Xavier's plan for revenge was finally going to be fulfilled. (A/N: Dun, dun, dun!)  
  
It was all so carefully planned out. Pan snuck into Bulma's lab and got Pyra's address, Xavier worked out most of the tricks they were going to play, while Pan's part was going to take place tonight. Now all they had to do was go through with the plan and justice would be served.   
  
Pan jumped when she heard a tap at her window. She turned around to see Xavier's green eyes staring at her, wearing black clothes as well. His lips curved upward into a smile as she walked over and opened the window.   
  
"Ready for 'Operation Scare-Whore-To-Death'?" He whispered.   
  
Pan smiled back and whispered, "Yep," as she climbed out of her window.   
  
It wasn't going to be hard at all. Videl had long since gone to bed and Xavier didn't have to worry about parents, since both of his were killed by the Androids, so sneaking out wasn't a problem. And Pan knew Pyra was at home, or going home, because Bulma threatened to beat Trunks with her frying pan if he didn't stay home and help her reorganize the living room furniture, so she couldn't have been out with him. No matter how old or strong he was, Trunks would never disobey Bulma and her frying pan. Pan smiled as she walked with Xavier to Pyra's, since it wasn't too far away, and silently thanked the grandmother she never had for leaving Bulma with her stainless steel weapon.   
  
~*~  
  
Pan and Xavier got there in no time. It was a small, blue house, very plain and quaint with a white picket fence surrounding it, which made both Pan and Xavier scowl at its cheery, "Brady Bunch" qualities.   
  
They tiptoed around to one of the windows, where they knew they could see her living room, and crouched down in front of it. Soon after they heard her car come into the driveway and the rattling of her keys, signaling that she was home. Once she walked into the house, they were both giddy with excitement.   
  
Flashback  
  
"You finished yet?" Pan asked as she sat on Pyra's couch and made herself comfortable while Xavier was doing the finishing touches on his part of their plan. It was only a few hours before Pyra was supposed to show up.   
  
"Almost!" Xavier called back as he fiddled around with some wires. Finally he got it the way that he wanted it to go, and he smiled at his success. "Done. And I only got shocked five times."  
  
Pan smiled and said, "Alright, now let's get out of this happy ass house. We'll come back in about three hours."   
  
Xavier nodded and cleaned up the mess he had made so that when Pyra came back, nothing would appear to be out of order. When he was finished, he followed Pan as she climbed out of the window, so that they wouldn't be noticed.   
  
End Flashback  
  
Pan and Xavier watched with evil smiles on their faces as Pyra walked into the house and immediately reached over and flipped the light switch. Only the light didn't come on, and she heard a funny humming noise followed by a whoosh of wind. She looked up and saw that the ceiling fan came on instead of the light.  
  
"What the hell..." She murmured to herself.   
  
Dismissing it, she walked into the dark kitchen looking for something to eat, and when she tried to turn on that light, she heard another weird sound. She narrowed her eyes and saw that one of the burners on her gas stove had turned on. She walked over to it and turned it off by using the knob, and not only did it turn off, but that made the garbage disposal go crazy as well. She screamed and jumped back, as it spewed out all kinds of food, or what used to be food, all over her and the kitchen.   
  
~*~  
  
Xavier and Pan snickered softly as they watched from another window. Pyra was running around in circles screaming her head off, covered in sticky goo that continued to come out of the garbage disposal in the sink.   
  
"I wonder how long it'll take her to realize that she can just leave the room," Xavier whispered to Pan.   
  
~*~  
  
As if on cue, Pyra practically flew into the dark living room, not knowing what else to do. She was so confused and scared that she just stood there for awhile, fidgeting and taking occasional glances at the dirty kitchen, seeing that the garbage disposal stopped going crazy, but continued to make that annoying clicking sound, signaling that it was still on.   
  
She looked up at the ceiling fan, remembering how the light switch turned it on. She walked across the room, and stepped below the fan. She reached up on her tip toes and pulled the string that was dangling from it, which was supposed to turn it off, thinking that maybe it would turn on the light. No such luck. Once she pulled the string, the TV came on and the sound was so loud she had to cover her ears.   
  
~*~  
  
"Shit," Pan mumbled as she rubbed her sore ears. "I should've known that with my Saiyan hearing that that would hurt ten times worse than it would to her."   
  
"It's still worth it though," Xavier said with a broad, evil grin as he watched Pyra practically cowering in a corner in shock.   
  
~*~  
  
Panicked, Pyra slowly backed up from the TV like it would hurt her, and luckily for Pan and Xavier, a murder movie was on, so she was beyond scared now.   
  
She stopped when she knocked something over, and then she remembered. The phone. She turned around and knelt on the floor to pick up her cordless phone and dialed the police. (A/N: Since they don't live in America, it can't be 911, can it?)   
  
~*~  
  
"Now!" Pan whispered to Xavier.   
  
Xavier nodded and turned his head towards the telephone poll. He looked at the wires above, and narrowed his eyes, concentrating. It didn't take long for it to spark up and break, for he had long since perfected his powers of starting fires with his mind. He turned to Pan with a triumphant smirk, and she just shook her head.   
  
~*~  
  
Pyra heard a faint ringing noise in the phone before it was cut off, signaling that her phone went dead. Her knees gave way and she collapsed to the floor, hugging the phone for comfort.   
  
"What the hell is going on?" She whimpered as she looked around.   
  
~*~  
  
"You're on, Pan-chan," Xavier whispered, his evil smile growing.   
  
Pan nodded and pulled a black face mask out of her pocket and pulled it over her head, before climbing into the open window and dropping to the floor as quietly as she could.   
  
~*~  
  
Pyra was on the verge of tears by then, and she jumped when the annoying screams of the murder movie on the TV died down. She slowly peered over the couch, but didn't see anyone.   
  
"Boo."   
  
She jerked a mile when she heard a low, raspy voice whisper, "Boo," in her ear. Still clutching the phone, she stared at the place where she thought she heard the voice, but she saw no one.   
  
"What do you want from me?" Pyra whined, backing up into a wall, letting go of the phone. She looked around desperately, but found no one. Suddenly, she turned and ran as fast as she could out of the room and into her bedroom, leaping under the covers like a scared child.   
  
"That blanket won't save you," She heard that hoarse voice again and almost pissed her pants as she peered out from under the covers, but still saw no one. Remembering a weapon, she flew out of her bed and to her closet where she grabbed a baseball bat. She swung it over her head, hoping that the strange person wouldn't come a step closer.   
  
"That won't help either," the person said again, right in her ear.   
  
She jumped and swung the bat, right where the person's face was, but as soon as she turned around, she saw the shadowy figure vanish. "What the hell are you?"   
  
"Your worst nightmare."   
  
She turned around and swung in all directions frantically when she heard the voice again, but didn't hit anything. "Get out of my house!"  
  
"Sorry." Pyra turned around only to meet a person that she could barely see, only it's smirking mouth. "No can do. I want to see you suffer." The person grabbed the bat right out of her hand, the smirk not wavering at all.   
  
Pyra blinked a few times before screaming her head off again and running right out of the house, not bothering to even get into her car, just trying to escape as fast as her legs could take her.  
  
~*~   
  
Xavier was laughing uncontrollably as he walked around the front of the house, meeting Pan, who was twirling a baseball bat in one hand, and pressing on her throat with two fingers of the other hand.   
  
"I want to see you suffer," She repeated, her voice raspy from the pressure on her throat.   
  
Xavier laughed some more. "The look on her face... Oh my Kami!"   
  
Pan laughed right along with him as she dropped the bat, took her fingers away from her throat, and pulled the mask off of her head.   
  
Xavier finally stopped laughing and caught his breath, draping his arm over her shoulder as they walked back to Pan's house. "You're brilliant, Panny-chan," he said, smiling.   
  
Pan smiled back. "No. You're brilliant, X-kun."   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Ah, I love that chapter! That was even better than the last one. Ok, so maybe all that stuff really couldn't be rewired like that, but oh well. This is a story with people part of an alien warrior race who help save the Earth from evil beings also not of this planet, not much has to make sense. Did you like the sparring match? I enjoyed that part. God, I read my stuff and I can't believe I write something like this, nor can I believe people love it so much. I'm literally bouncing up and down in my chair as I write this. But I still feel it's too good to be true, and I'm just waiting for a flame. Oh, and I actually have a reason for choosing Xavier's name. See, Pan called him brilliant, and that's just what Xavier means, brilliant. Anyway, you people never told me about whether or not I should change my title. It kinda makes me wonder if you simply skip this and go on to the chapter preview....  
  
Next Chapter: Pyra seeks comfort in Trunks after the little "incident" and he immediately accuses Pan. How does she redeem herself? Does she redeem herself? And what's this? A trip to the Other World? For who? Find out on the next episode of Dragonball Z! Hehehe... 


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter's only 11 pages, as opposed to the usual 14, so that kind of disappoints me. And there's not too much humor in it, but I did add more of Xavier than originally planned, by special request. This chapter's kind of sad too, I'm warning you right now. So don't get too angry at me in your reviews. Oh, yeah, what happened to my fortieth review, Autumn? What's up with that? Bitch, you need to review more often, I mean, it's not like you don't read it. I mean, God, I can't believe you! Stupid whore.... haha, just kidding, I love you Autumn! But you still better review damn it...  
  
Special Thanks to The Pimps Who Reviewed:   
Netty  
Mii-chan  
Matt  
pan-chan16k  
blue-angel1204  
dolphinskickbutt  
pan86  
Brandon B  
ills  
sammy  
Ashee- Again, thanks for both reviews!  
  
My Definition of "Pimp": The slang equivalent of "cool", "tight", or "of utmost importance".   
  
Disclaimer: If I had one wish, I'd wish to be Akira Toriyama so I can get rich off of his brilliant idea. (Well maybe not, but you get my point, right?) But all I have are the plot, and two original characters, one of which is hated very much so, and of that I'm proud.  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Pyra ran as fast as she could down the many streets to Capsule Corp., with occasional glances over her shoulder to see if her "assailant" was around. But every time she looked around, she saw no one, which confused her, since the exact words of the person were, "I want to see you suffer". To her, those words meant death. Tortured death. So where was this freak who was tormenting her?   
  
Not paying attention to where she was going, she tripped over something and fell onto the pavement (A/N: Didn't see that coming, did ya?). So now not only did she have food caked up on her body and clothes, but she had scrapes and scratches on her bare knees and elbows. Luckily, she had fallen right in front of Capsule Corp., so she ran to the door, only to run into Trunks, who was on his way out.   
  
"Trunks!" She panted as she hugged him for dear life.   
  
Trunks looked down at her with a confused expression. He felt her ki rushing towards him so he went outside to meet her. He also felt her fright through her ki and wondered what the hell had her so scared. "What's the matter, Pyra?"   
  
Pyra, now finally catching her breath, started screaming frantically while she flailed her arms wildly. "Everything was going crazy! My TV was blaring and my garbage disposal started freaking out and it scared me!" She buried her face into his chest and started to cry then.   
  
Trunks narrowed his eyes, really confused now. It was then that he noticed the shape her clothes were in. They were all out of place and she had what looked to be like food caked in her hair and all over her clothes. And what she just said made him wonder about her sanity. - Garbage disposals freaking out? What the hell...- He just soothed the sobbing girl in his arms, but his head jerked upward when he felt a familiar ki approaching.   
  
~*~  
  
Pan and Xavier were still laughing about the torture they put Pyra through when Pan suddenly stopped a few blocks away from her house with a worried frown plastered across her features.  
  
"What's up, Pan?" Xavier asked.   
  
"Pyra..." Pan muttered. "I think... I sense her..." Pan concentrated hard on the ki that she felt, and it was indeed Pyra's. "Shit! She's at Trunks' house!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the face mask, then ki blasted it. She also took off the black shirt she was wearing, knowing that she had a red one on underneath, and ki blasted it as well.   
  
"What are you doing?" Xavier asked his raven-haired friend.   
  
"I don't want to appear to be too obvious, ya know?" Pan answered. "You should probably go. I'll talk to you tomorrow or something."   
  
"Ok," Xavier agreed, but before he left, he added, "Aren't you worried Pyra and Trunks are going to automatically suspect you?"   
  
Pan smirked. "I've grown up with Trunks, I've known him all my life. When you've been around a person for 18 years, you know how to handle him. Trust me, I can get out of trouble easily when it comes to Trunks."   
  
Xavier smiled. "Alright then, I'll see you later."   
  
~*~  
  
Trunks looked around, thinking he sensed Pan nearby, and someone else with her that he didn't care to check out too thoroughly. Now he was really confused, wondering what the hell Pan could be doing out at this time of night. Then, another thought crossed his mind. What if what Pyra was ranting about had something to do with Pan? Maybe she was playing a cruel joke on her as revenge for taking up so much of his time? Could be...  
  
A few seconds later, the lady in question came strolling down the street. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the sobbing redhead in Trunks' arms, and she hoped no one saw it.   
  
"Pan?" Trunks asked, even though it was obvious that it was Pan by her ki.   
  
"Hmm?" She pretended that she didn't know it was him. "Oh. Hi, Trunks.... Pyra."   
  
"It was her!" Pyra screamed, pointing at the 18 year old in the next yard.   
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Pan asked, trying to be as confused and innocent as she could.   
  
"You broke into my house and did something to all my stuff and you were the one who scared the hell out of me! It was you! I know it was you!"   
  
Pan cocked her head to the side. "Um... no, I'm afraid you're mistaken."  
  
"Mistaken my ass!" Pyra was now not as distraught as she was before, apparently.   
  
"Hey," Trunks put his hand on Pyra's shoulder. "Just because you two aren't on the best of terms doesn't mean that she did that to you." Pan smiled triumphantly, but it faded when he said, "Wait a minute... just exactly where were you tonight?"  
  
"With Xavier," Pan answered, smiling sweetly at him. At least it wasn't a lie.   
  
Trunks nodded. - That explains the other ki I felt, but I could've sworn she fired some ki blasts or something, I felt her ki flare.... I'll have to ask her when Pyra's away.- He looked down at the redhead that was still clinging to him, but glaring daggers at Pan, who continued to blink and stare at her in confusion. "Pyra, just what exactly happened tonight?"   
  
Pyra looked up at him and started screaming frantically again at the memory. "It was horrible! My garbage disposal attacked me and the house almost caught on fire and the ceiling fan and TV were on and my baseball bat got taken away! It scared me!"  
  
Trunks tried his best to sooth the poor, hysterical girl in his arms, to no avail. He was starting to wonder about her sanity a lot more, but something had obviously happened to bring her this way. Something that Trunks was sure Pan had something to do with, but the evidence wasn't exactly there. He put his thoughts aside as he tried to tell Pyra to slow down and speak slowly, while Pan decided it would be a good time to exit.   
  
A week later...  
By this time, Gohan had been on Earth for a little over 2 months, and it was really starting to get to him. Trunks was still not admitting his feelings, and him and Pan still weren't on fairly good terms. They at least had an occasional, "hello" or a sparring match, but it always ended up in another argument when Trunks accused her of causing Pyra's insanity. Yes, Pyra practically went insane after her "ordeal", or so everyone thought, and was admitted into a mental hospital (A/N: Hehehe, how do you like that one?). I mean really, wouldn't you think someone was insane if they were talking about garbage disposals attacking and strange figures disappearing and reappearing within seconds?  
  
Anyway, Gohan was beyond frustrated and actually thought of threatening Trunks to tell Pan how he feels, but he knew he couldn't do that, the Kais wouldn't let him. All he could do was badger and badger him, but somehow, it didn't seem to be getting to him lately. He just shrugged it off and went to do something to occupy his time. Gohan often wondered if it had something to do with Pyra's absence, but he didn't seem affected by that either. For one, he didn't even go see her in the mental hospital. Two, when a new lab assistant was hired, he didn't object or even suggest that she just be a temporary replacement until Pyra recovered. It made him wonder just what the hell was going on in his head.   
  
Well, what was going on in his head was the dilemma he was faced with before Pyra: What to do about his new feelings for Pan. Sure, he knew that the grown up thing to do would be to just admit it, to stop acting like a boy just going through puberty who was still embarrassed to talk to girls, but for some reason, he just couldn't. There was like some sort of hold on him whenever he had the chance to tell her, the words would never come, or it would be one of those times where he'd dismiss his feelings altogether. But towards the end of week, he made a decision. He was going to stop being so stupid. He was obviously in love with her, there was no denying it. Now the question was, was he ever going to tell her? That was yet to be determined.   
  
They were currently sitting in the living room of the Briefs home, the ladies chatting and excluding Trunks as usual, which left his mind to wander to something he didn't even know he remembered.   
  
Flashback  
  
"...I really like you Trunks... I might even... love you..."  
  
End Flashback  
  
What he thought to be Pan's voice rang over and over in his head. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Pan ask him to hand her the remote. She blinked and asked him again, but all she got in return was a blank look as he stared into to space. - Great, he's freaking out again.-   
  
"You ok, Trunks?" She asked, a little concerned. She'd barely shown any emotion but anger the whole week, let alone concern.   
  
"Huh?" Trunks snapped out his thoughts and jerked his head towards her.   
  
"I said are you ok?" Pan repeated, putting her hand on his shoulder. "You were out of it for a good five minutes."   
  
"Oh... sorry," He muttered. He stared at her as she shrugged turned her attention to the TV, wondering if what he just envisioned was just his imagination or an actual memory. It felt so real... but in the end he decided it was foolish and, noticing that their mothers had left the room, he decided to bring up something else, "Pan, can I ask you something?"   
  
Pan turned around to face him with a confused look. "It depends on what it is."  
  
He hesitated for just a fraction of a second, not really wanting to face her wrath when he asked her this, but he needed a different answer than what he'd been getting. "Was it really you who did that to Pyra?" He was, of course, referring to her night of torture. "I won't get mad, I promise. I just want to know."  
  
Pan blinked a few times, wondering if she should tell him the truth. It would be a lot easier, she was practically going crazy inside for not being able to tell him. After all, he was her best friend and she always told him everything. Sighing, she decided to go with her familiar approach. "Why do you keep asking me this, Trunks? Is it so hard to believe that I actually might be civil once in awhile? That I finally realized that it's time to be an adult?" - Did I just say that? Son Pan, an... ADULT? Please...-  
  
Trunks also sighed, defeated. "I guess I should have more faith in you."  
  
Pan blinked. - It worked? Damn, even at 18 I still have my childish innocence.- "Yes, you should have more faith in me." She pretended to be insulted and saddened. "I'm disappointed in you Trunks. How could you think of me, little Panny-chan, like that?" She pretended to hold back tears as she turned away from him and gave a little sniff for good measure.   
  
Trunks immediately pulled her into a hug as she "cried". She was very convincing, especially to Trunks. "I'm sorry, Panny-chan. Don't cry."  
  
Pan stifled a snicker as she smiled evilly over his shoulder for a second, then returned to her crying act. - This is way too easy.-   
  
Gohan, who was always observing any kind of moment between the two younger people, shook his head with a smile on his face. - That kid deserves an award for that performance. My daughter's so manipulative... and sneaky. I'm so proud.-   
  
Pan stopped her little performance and looked up at Trunks with a "sad" smile. He smiled back, the first smile that they exchanged in a long time. Suddenly, both of them felt their hearts feel as if they had completely melted and that the temperature rose drastically. She pulled away from him a little and turned away, so that he wouldn't see the red on his face. He was grateful for the action, for his own blush needed concealing. Gohan raised an interested eyebrow at this.   
  
"Pan?" Trunks asked, once his blush subsided.   
  
She turned around, her own blush leaving the premises. "Yeah?"  
  
"Uh... I... uh....," Suddenly Trunks became the stuttering 12 year old he thought he left behind when puberty was over. "I just wanted to uh..." Her words, or what he thought were her words, rang over and over in his mind like an annoying siren. He wanted to tell her the same thing, but he felt like something was holding his brain in a vise grip, so that speech and any intelligent thoughts were temporarily out of order. "Pan... I.... do you want to go spar?"   
  
Gohan, who had been on the edge of his seat, fell over Anime-style. "Damn it, Trunks! What's wrong with you? Why can't you just tell her?"  
  
Once Pan nodded her answer, Trunks glared at Gohan as he got up and headed out of the door, followed by his younger opponent, who had been hoping for a confession of sorts. Instead, she got a sparring match, which was still something she enjoyed, but not something she particularly wanted to happen at the moment. She just stifled an annoyed sigh, and put her hopes and dreams of any possible get-together in the back of her mind, totally convincing herself that it would never happen at this rate.   
  
The Next Day...  
"Hey, Videl," Trunks said with a smile as he walked into the Son house. Only Videl didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. He looked around the kitchen and the other rooms, still no sight of Videl. But as he walked through the hallway, he stopped in front of Pan's room, hearing voices. When one of them wasn't of the person he was looking for, he was about to turn around, but he felt Xavier's ki, and decided to be a little nosey as he pushed down his own ki, so as not to be detected by the other part-Saiyan.  
  
~*~  
  
"X-kun, you are too much," Pan laughed as Xavier put on one of the dresses Bulma had given her for her birthday, over his clothes, and modeled it in front of her mirror, striking poses.   
  
"You don't think it makes my butt look big?" Xavier said, sarcastically.   
  
Pan laughed again. "Nope," She teased, and added with a flick of her wrist, "It's so you! I mean, it's your color and everything."   
  
They both laughed as Xavier threw the dress to the side and sat on Pan's bed. They'd been having a good time since they ran into each other a few weeks before. They were both practically the same person. They weren't what was stereotypical of a girl or a guy, they both loved the same things, playing tricks on people, and since he was gay, they both had the same taste in guys. She could tell him everything, even some of the things she couldn't tell Trunks. But, her and Trunks would always have a special bond that was imperishable. Trunks said it to her himself when they made amends the day before, after she won yet another sparring match. And even though Xavier didn't like the way Trunks wrote Pan off for so long, he still was happy that they made up.   
  
"Yeah," Pan said. "I'm happy too. It's a relief for him to be talking to me again. You don't know how much hell I go through without him in my life. I mean, he's always been there. Literally. Naturally it's hard for anyone to go without something they've been used to for their whole lives."   
  
Xavier nodded. "Yeah, that's true. That's how I felt the first few months after my parents died. But later I found you, and it's been a roller coaster ride of pranks ever since."   
  
Pan smiled. "It's nice to have an accomplice, isn't it? I don't think it would've been any fun scaring the hell out of Pyra without you."   
  
"It wasn't as satisfying as I would have hoped. She didn't shit her pants or anything!"  
  
Pan laughed. "But the look on her face was priceless. I'm surprised she didn't lose her bowels."   
  
Xavier got up and imitated Pyra running around in the kitchen and her determination to beat Pan with the bat in her bedroom. "Get out of my house!" He shrieked, trying to sound as feminine as possible and mimic Pyra's voice as he continued to scream around the room, and much to Pan's amusement, he actually did sound like her.   
  
"X-kun," She started as she held her aching stomach from so much laughing. "Don't ever change."   
  
~*~  
  
While the two friends were still laughing, obviously in good spirits, the lavender-haired son of a prince who was listening wasn't exactly thrilled. He was just the opposite. No, the more correct term would be beyond pissed. So pissed off that he would like nothing more than to kill them both. Not only had Pan lied to him, not once, but several times. And she even made him feel sorry for her. How dare she pout like that?! That right there was below the belt.   
  
Trunks' ki rose as he got angry, more at himself for falling for it than anything else. He stormed into the room, startling both teens. Pan had felt the ki surge too late, and now by the look on his face, she knew the answer to the question she was asking herself. He had to have heard everything.   
  
"You lied to me," Trunks' voice was low as he spoke the words through gritted teeth. It actually frightened Pan a little bit, she didn't think she'd ever seen him this angry. Well, maybe when she got mad at him and poked holes in all of his condoms a few years back...  
  
"You heard?" Today the mistress of the obvious was Pan as she looked at Trunks, then Xavier, and back to Trunks, with very frightened eyes.   
  
"Damn right I heard," Trunks answered as he walked over to Pan, making her back up into a wall. "How could you do this to me?"   
  
"I'm guessing you heard?" Gohan said as he poked his head through the open window. He felt Trunks' ki skyrocket and he wondered what was going on.   
  
"You knew about this?" Trunks asked, ignoring the strange looks he was receiving. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"It was not my business to tell," Gohan answered.   
  
Trunks growled and Pan and Xavier stared at him with narrowed eyes, both forgetting their fright for a moment.   
  
"You do know that you were just talking to air?" Xavier asked, earning another glare and growl from Trunks, which immediately shut him up. - It's a damn shame. So cute, but still, a lunatic. I guess it's true. All the good guys are taken, in some way, and the rest are handicapped.-   
  
"Why did you do this, Pan?" Trunks demanded. When he didn't get an answer quick enough, he shouted his question this time, making Pan flinch from his tone of voice.   
  
"Because," Pan muttered softly. Then, remembering that Trunks would never hurt her, under any circumstances, her courage came back. "Why do you think, Trunks? She insulted me, she had you chained to her all of the time, of course I wanted to get her back! Any person with half a brain would've done the same thing! She pissed me off, Trunks. When have you known me to 'turn the other cheek' when I'm being provoked? I just can't do it." She noticed him glare at Xavier again and she added, "And don't go blaming Xavier either. It was my idea, and I pushed him into it." She saw Xavier start to protest, to get his friend out of a little more trouble, but she shook her head. "No, X-kun, it was my fault. I'm an adult now. I should have known that there were other ways to settle our little dispute. But, that doesn't mean I'm not proud of what I did. I had to teach her a lesson. Yes, it was childish, I know-"   
  
"Damn right it was childish," Trunks growled, interrupting her. "And I don't want to associate with children. Go to hell, Pan. And take your little friend with you. I don't ever want to see you again!" After shooting one last glare at Xavier, he fled through the open window, going right through the "ghost of Gohan".   
  
Pan just blinked a few times in shock, and seemed to find the wall ahead of her very interesting as she did so. Xavier walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, asking quietly, "Are you ok, Pan?"   
  
She didn't respond. She just collapsed to the floor in uncontrollable tears, but luckily, Xavier caught her, and just let her cry on his shoulder, trying to tell her to calm down.   
  
Gohan growled as he watched his daughter's pain. That was it. He had had enough.   
  
~*~  
  
Trunks was practically tearing his hair out as he sat in a corner in his room, when Gohan came in. Just by the look on his face, Trunks knew he was getting the tongue-lashing of his life. He was sure he was going to die when Gohan stormed over to him and yanked his arm, pulling him up to face him. It felt as if his arm was going to get ripped right out of the socket.   
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Gohan demanded, mentally debating on whether to choke Trunks or not. "She's bawling her eyes out in there!"   
  
"I don't care!" Trunks shouted back. "She shouldn't have done that to Pyra! Not only did she lie to me, but she practically drove that girl to insanity!"   
  
"Oh please, Trunks!" Gohan screamed. "She deserved it! She was a manipulative little bitch!"   
  
"Which one? Pan or Pyra?"   
  
At that, Trunks received another punch from Gohan from the insult, sending him back into the corner he had just been pulled from. Trunks glared at him, already pissed off, but that punch was really not needed.   
  
Just as he was about to counterattack, Gohan said, "Forget it! I've had enough of this! You keep on being stubborn! Live your life knowing that you passed up someone special! See if I care!"   
  
Trunks' eyes widened in surprise as Gohan completely vanished before him. He had never expected something that to happen. Now, not only did he lose his girlfriend, but he lost the only 2 people that were actually friends to him. His anger totally vanished as he leaned against the wall, and a tear streamed down his cheek as he sighed. If he thought life was hell before, now it seemed to only be beginning.   
  
~*~  
  
"Where is he?" The angry half-Saiyan stormed into the cafeteria of the Other World, knowing that his father would most likely be there, along with his mother. And sure enough, he was right. Both parents were eating, although it was probably Goku's fifth time that day by the looks of the horrified cooks who were watching. Of course Chichi didn't seem to notice, but when the cooks saw Gohan, they ran and hid anywhere they could find, shouting something that sounded like, "No more Saiyan appetites!"   
  
Goku felt his son's power rise and quickly stopped eating, running over to Gohan and putting his hands on his shoulders. He'd been monitoring what was going on down on Earth for the past two months, when he wasn't eating that is, so he assumed Trunks had another argument with Pan. "Whoa, calm down, son. What's wrong?"   
  
Gohan growled. "That boy is impossible! Did you see how he hurt my Panny-chan?"   
  
Goku's eyes narrowed, a little angry and protective of his only grandchild, as was Gohan, and Chichi, who was now walking up to the two men, having heard what Gohan said. "What did he do now?"   
  
Gohan took a deep breath to calm himself, and told his parents about what had happened, but afterward, he just wound up even more angry. "So that's why I need to know where The Supreme Kai is. Do you know where he is?"   
  
Goku tilted his head and rubbed his chin as he thought. "The last time I saw him he was chatting with one of the other Kais.... I think." He saw the hopeful look on his son's face as he turned around, but he grabbed his arm, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Wait, Gohan. I don't think it's going to do much good if you talk to him. He'll only tell you what he told you before. You can't make Trunks do anything, he has to choose for himself."   
  
Gohan sighed. "I was afraid of that. But Dad, you should've seen her. She looked so heartbroken..."  
  
Goku patted his son on the back. "I know, son. But everyone has to experience pain once in awhile. Trust me, if they're right for each other, they'll find each other eventually. Give them time."  
  
"Not too much time," Chichi chimed in. "Trunks isn't getting any younger. And I don't care if I am dead, I want to have great-grandchildren, damn it!" She grabbed a frying pan from one of the cooks as he walked by and whacked Gohan upside the head with it.   
  
"Ow, Mom!" He whined as he rubbed his head. "What was that for?"   
  
"That was for not getting them together!" She screamed as she hit him again.   
  
"Mom, did you not hear what Dad just got through explaining to me? I can't make Trunks do anything."  
  
Chichi hit him again. "Nonsense! If my boy can help save the world, you damn sure can bring two people together." Goku tried to reason with Chichi, but she cut him off with a whack of her frying pan. "And that's for telling my boy that he can't do it! How dare you crush his hopes like that!" She continued to hit him over the head and yell at him some more, while he whimpered and looked pleadingly at his son, who was just happy to have escaped it himself.   
  
Gohan sighed. "Now I remember the other reason why I went to Earth. These people are going to drive me nuts." That statement made him remember Pyra's current predicament and he smiled to himself, drowning out his parents' screams. "I wonder what she looks like in a straight jacket..."  
  
*~*~*~*  
Yeah well, not so much of a trip to the Other World like I said before, but I didn't lie, now did I? Sorry about this chapter too, it's kind of a disappointment compared to the other chapters. But I hope you'll be happy with the next one. Don't worry, it'll get better soon. And oh yeah... I have some things to ask of you to vote on and I'm going to put them in Caps since you don't seem to want to answer me any other time....:   
  
1. DO YOU THINK I SHOULD CHANGE THE TITLE OR NOT? LET ME KNOW IN A REVIEW PLEASE?  
  
2. DO YOU GUYS WANT ME TO END THIS WITH THEM FINALLY GETTING TOGETHER, OR DO YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE ON WITH IT? I HAVE A GOOD IDEA TO CONTINUE WITH.... BUT I WON'T UNLESS YOU PEOPLE LET ME KNOW.   
  
SO TELL ME IN YOUR REVIEWS!!!! IF YOU DON'T LET ME KNOW... I JUST MIGHT STOP WRITING....  
  
Next Chapter: Pan and Trunks suffer from depression, Trunks more severely because he feels so guilty. They're practically forced to make amends, but something else comes along to put a shift in that plan, along with some startling discoveries.... 


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks everyone who answered my questions, you helped a lot. I decided that when I end the fic, it's not going to be with when they finally get together, but I'm going to incorporate the idea I had for a sequel, so it's going to be a very long fic, I'm assuming. Hey, guess what people? I got a flame! Yep, but it's from my brother though, so it doesn't count because he didn't even read it, he just reviewed and called me a stupid bitch and said my fic was bullshit, and that was the inspiration for my pen name change. See, I'm no longer Cornbread Me, but I'm Leather Face now. Where I came up with that, I have no idea, but I'm not one to question stupidity.   
  
Special Thanks To Reviews From:  
Netty  
dolphinskickbutt  
(A/N: Whoever this is who's name didn't show up, thanks.)  
Matt  
Aerowhynne- Thanks for the idea. You'll see what I mean...  
EternalDreams  
blue-angel1204  
zighawk- By the way, I answered your request in an email, but I don't think it got to you. So, if not, include an AIM or AOL screen name in your review, if you have one. Or, MSN, and we can discuss the matter at hand.   
pan86  
marla  
pan-chan16k  
Mii-chan  
kin  
ills  
Pan-Chan  
pan loves trunks- Haha, review enough?  
Brandon B- Yes, I do know how to throw a curveball in a story, and don't worry about them getting together. They'll get together soon, I promise.   
DragonUk  
  
Disclaimer: "You 'bout to journey into the mind of a psychopath killa, blood spilla, mentality much illa. If you could ever imagine in your wildest dreams, to feel the pain and the silent screams. You 'bout to...(D12 song. Very nice, you should find it and listen to it. Track number 7!)" Oh, the disclaimer! Hehe, in a way, you have been in the mind of a psychopath killer by reading this story, because I'm a psychopath killer.... a CEREAL killer. Hehehe... anyway, all I own is the plot, the pimp (Xavier), and the bitch (Pyra).   
  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Pan sat on her roof, staring off into the starry, night sky as she let her thoughts drift off. More often than not, this was how she spent her nights for the past month since Trunks had his little outburst. All she did was sit in her room during the day, occasionally blasting a few odds and ends to keep her sanity. But that was all she did. She even had to get literally dragged out of her room in order to actually get dressed everyday or to even eat some days. She just didn't see a reason to, she felt like her whole world came crashing down on her, but in a way, it had.   
  
She didn't know how to survive without Trunks. He was always there. He was literally her everything. He was her protector from the physically harmful, he was her shoulder to cry on, the person she could confide in, her sparring partner, and the only one who believed in her when it mattered the most. And to add to all of that, he was her first love. That made the blow of losing him more hurtful just thinking about it, knowing that he could've been her boyfriend and they could've been living happily ever after if she hadn't pulled that stupid stunt.   
  
And that was the bitch of it all. If she hadn't went around scaring little redheaded bitches who thought they were better than her then she'd have Trunks right now, maybe not as a boyfriend, but at least as a friend. But she knew this was bound to happen anyway, she knew she wouldn't have let that bitch get away with what she'd done. And life never worked the way you wanted it to anyway. Everyone gets their share of heartache every once and awhile, and as she thought of that, she wondered why it seemed like she'd been getting a lot more of that in her 18 years than she should have.   
  
She was about to elaborate on the thought when she heard a voice from below her, "Hey, Pan! Come down here!"  
  
She was surprised to see that in a month's worth of neglect in her training that her senses dulled so much. She hadn't even sensed her dark-haired friend, Xavier, approach.   
  
"Hey, X-kun," She said somberly as she descended to the front of the yard where he was.   
  
"What's up with you, girl?" He replied, putting an arm around her shoulder. It was obvious by the look on her face that she wasn't doing too good. Her eyes seemed darker, if that was possible, and she didn't even bother to wear her bandanna, something he'd never seen her without. She seemed to be wearing black a lot more from what he'd heard, like she was in mourning or something. But in a way, she was mourning a death. The death of her inner hope. "You haven't spoken to me all month except for a few occasional 'hellos'. You're doing that bad, huh?"  
  
She nodded grimly, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to come out by just thinking of him.   
  
"You look like you've been walking around here like a zombie," He continued and patted her shoulder to try and perk her up. "Come on, Pan, you got to do something. You can't just sit around here and wait to die. You've got to move on with your life."  
  
"It's not that easy," Pan said softly as she moved away from him to sit on the front steps. "He's my everything, X-kun. He's my friend, protector... and among other things... the only man I've ever loved. It's not exactly easy to just move on with my life."  
  
Xavier nodded and sat down next to her on the steps. "I understand that. But at least do little things like... I don't know... like coming out of your room during the day. You've got your mom so worried she's even called me." Pan looked startled by that statement, but it was perfectly logical. She was really worried about her, and it was only natural for her to want help, especially from someone Pan trusts. "C'mon Pan. Do it for me. We can take baby steps. How about you.... go to a bar with me tonight?"   
  
"You want me to go to a bar that's full of a bunch of Village People rejects?" She replied jokingly, although her face held no emotion. "No, thanks."  
  
Xavier chuckled. "Well, you must be feeling better if you're cracking jokes."  
  
She shrugged and looked back up at the sky, just as a shooting star was making it's way across it. She smiled sadly at that and turned to look at Xavier again. "You know, there was a time when I'd actually come out here to see if I could catch a shooting star, just so I could wish for something. And it would always be the same things. I'd wish for the Androids to go away, or for all of Bulma's friends that I never met before to come back from the dead.... because it always made her so sad to think of them.... or I'd wish for my daddy to come back... and make my mom happy again.... I always felt she was never truly happy because he died and left me with her alone.... I just wanted everyone to be happy so I could be happy too," She smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's funny what you believe in so strongly when you're a kid.... I wish I still believed in that.... and more importantly that it was really true. Maybe then I wouldn't feel as though I'm a caged animal for Kami's general amusement."  
  
"Why do you feel that way?" Xavier asked, carefully analyzing everything she'd just said, particularly the last statement. He'd never heard anything like that from her. He always heard cheerfulness and worth-while things from her. Certainly nothing like this.   
  
"Well," Pan started. "I feel like Kami has me caged up, or like his slave. He gives me what I want only occasionally, but then without warning he takes it away from me and watches me suffer from losing it.... like he enjoys seeing me in pain... and then he'll give the object... or person... back to me, and the process starts all over again...." She sighed and looked away from her friend again. "I know people have had much worse lives than me... but it still isn't fair that Kami takes these things away from me, you know?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and she looked up at the sky again. She could tell he was a little troubled by her depressed statement, but she didn't care. She had to get it off her chest. "I just hope Kami lets me out of my cage soon..."   
  
~*~  
  
Trunks continued to fire ki blasts at his imaginary opponent with all of the intensity and strength he could collect. He was training a lot more these days, as a way to escape the haunting guilt that consumed him whenever he had a moment's time to think. He hated to admit it, but not only did he miss Pan a lot, he felt guilty about telling her he never wanted to see her again. He didn't mean it of course, and he only said it because he was angry, but his pride, that he must have inherited from his father, wouldn't let him go crawling back and apologize.   
  
As he thrust his leg out into a ferocious kick, he wondered why the hell he was so mad at her in the first place. Sure, it was a rotten thing to do to Pyra, but she had deserved it for all the insults she threw at Pan. And now that he thought about it, it was actually quite funny. Surprisingly, he didn't feel a thing for Pyra. He wasn't sorry that she ended up incapacitated, or angry on her behalf, but more like disappointed because he got involved with her in the first place. If he hadn't, then he and Pan wouldn't be at each other's throats right now. Hell, he might've confessed his feelings by now and they would be making wedding preparations.   
  
He laughed at the thought as he decided to call his training off for the night, walking over to the control console and pushing a few buttons. Immediately he felt his muscles lighten a hell of a lot as the gravity returned to normal and he slumped down to the ground, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.   
  
He'd never used the Gravity Room his mother had built so long ago for his father until the night he and Pan had their fight. He always felt like it was a sort of shrine to his father, like his spirit was still lurking there and he didn't want to disturb it. His father's beloved GR was always something he had forbade himself to enter until that night when he became so angry that training in the GR for a few hours, or rather a few days, sounded like the only way to dissolve that anger. And that's exactly what he did. He trained for about 2 days before he gave in to his mother's protests and came inside to shower and eat, but then he went back in there, and he'd been spending days on end in there ever since. He just didn't want a moment to think about anything else... especially not Pan.   
  
He slowly picked himself up from the GR and walked in the house and down the hall to his room. He was so exhausted that he didn't even bother to take a shower or give in to his stomach's demands as he collapsed onto his bed and immediately fell asleep in his white and gold armor and blue spandex suit he'd found in the GR, which he assumed was once his father's.   
  
But his last thought, before he drifted off into dreamland, was not of his father, but of the woman he loved so much... and whom he'd driven away.   
  
The Next Day...  
When Trunks woke up, he went through his normal morning rituals, or what they'd become in the last month. He'd wake up, take a shower, put on his armor, then go out to the GR to train. Food seemed to only cross his mind in the evening, and after that, he'd go right back out to training. But as he walked toward the front door, he sensed something was going to interrupt his morning routine, although he didn't know what.   
  
"Trunks?" There it was. Or rather, she was. Bulma walked from the kitchen just as he was passing it, with a spatula in her hand and a big smile on her face. "Are you hungry?"  
  
Trunks tried to ignore the delicious smells that were magnified by his Saiyan half, but he lost the battle. He nodded appreciatively at his mom and replied, "I'm starving."  
  
Bulma smiled triumphantly and beckoned him to the table. She usually never caught him before he went out sparring or he would always decline an offer of food, which she assumed was because he was so depressed. But she saw his agreement now as a good sign, and an even better sign was that as soon as she placed the mountains of food onto the table, he immediately got his grub on.   
  
"Well," She smiled as she sat down across from him. "Looks like your in better spirits."  
  
Trunks stopped momentarily and nodded absentmindedly, a broad, goofy grin on his face before returning to the mad man he became while eating. In a way, that goofy grin reminded her of Goku... or Gohan... but instead of getting sad, she smiled at the comparison and just waited for her son to finish eating before she brought up the subject she knew would be a sensitive one, but she just had to bring it up.   
  
It bothered her that two of the people that were closest to her weren't on good terms, and she wanted more than anything to get to the bottom of this little dispute. She didn't really understand what caused it, only that Pan had done something to Pyra, which she assumed wasn't anything knew, but apparently it was much more severe because Trunks was so mad at her. It seemed like a mystery to her. One she was desperate to solve.   
  
Trunks looked even more like a Son man as he leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach with satisfaction. He grinned and said, "That was great. Thanks, Mom."  
  
"Your welcome," She replied, smiling back at him. "I'm glad to see you're doing something besides training."  
  
He frowned and looked away. "Well, I haven't exactly been myself... obviously."  
  
Bulma nodded. "What exactly... What exactly happened that day?" She didn't want to ask him, but she felt she had to know. It was driving her crazy.   
  
Trunks sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "She made me angry... that's all. She did something horrible to Pyra and it really pissed me off."  
  
"Pan has done plenty of things that piss you off, Trunks," Bulma replied. "And yet you two always seem to make up. Why is this time so different?"   
  
Trunks lowered his head and stared at Bulma with wide eyes. He didn't expect that kind of reply from her. And now that he thought about it, why was this time so different? It wasn't like he actually cared about Pyra or anything... "I don't know... It's the principle of the thing. It was wrong and she shouldn't have done it."  
  
"I understand that," Bulma said as she took Trunks' hand in her own. "But do you realize that it's eating you up inside? You can't even do anything besides train because you're so mad at yourself."  
  
Trunks narrowed his eyes at her. "How the hell do you know that's the reason why I train?"  
  
Bulma smiled and let go of his hand, staring off into space. "Because that's what your father used to do..." Trunks looked surprised that she'd even mentioned him. She rarely did that, it was too painful for her to remember, but he was glad she did now, and just sat patiently, waiting for her to continue. "When I was pregnant with you... I guess I was pretty unbearable." She laughed. "He used to call me the devil woman all the time and end up screaming at me until I was in tears... then of course he'd lock himself up in the GR, because he'd feel so guilty... but he was too stubborn to come back and apologize."   
  
"Dad actually told you that he felt guilty?" Trunks asked. That seemed highly unlikely from what he'd seen of the past version of his father.   
  
She shook her head. "No, but I always knew what he was feeling anyway." She pulled the collar of her shirt and revealed a bite mark on her neck. "It was part of our bond."  
  
Trunks nodded. He'd heard about a bond before, from Gohan, but he never understood it until he brought it up with his father when he went to the past. And even then, it sounded far-fetched, but somehow, a mother's word always confirmed everything. And the bite mark was evidence enough. "So you felt his feelings and all that?"  
  
She nodded, grateful she could share this information with him. She'd never felt like it was the right time, or she felt too sad to talk about his father. "Yes, and he could feel mine. We could also talk telepathically."   
  
"Really?" Trunks asked. He'd never heard of that before, not even from his father. Maybe it was something he wanted him to discover for himself. - So that must be why my parents from the past always looked at each other weird, like they were sharing some kind of conversation... well I guess they were, inside their heads.- He remembered one particular look they exchanged, which was followed by them making an excuse to leave the room. He shuddered at the thought.   
  
Bulma nodded in answer to his question, ignoring the visible shiver from him, and smiled. "Gohan's never told you about this?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not in so many words... but Dad told me some of it... the one from the past I mean."   
  
"I know what you meant," She smiled, then asked curiously, "Was he still arrogant in that time?"   
  
Trunks smiled. "I don't think my presence could've changed a trait like that. Although he did avenge my death... or so I heard.... did I tell you that?"  
  
"Yeah..." She trailed off, wishing Vegeta could still be here with her and Trunks.   
  
The conversation suddenly ended as mother and son exchanged a few smiles, and although Trunks actually enjoyed talking to his mother for a change, he decided that the conversation had gotten too awkward. He got up and proceeded to walk out to the GR, but before he did, he flashed his mother another smile and said, "You know, if Dad were here today, I think I know what he would say."   
  
"Oh yeah?" Bulma asked, leaning forward in her chair. She was intrigued by this. "What would he say?"  
  
"Well," Trunks replied as he leaned against the wall. "To me, he'd probably say," He put on his best Vegeta voice, "'Boy, stop your incessant babbling and go out and train!'" Bulma grinned as he continued. "And to you, it would be, 'Woman! How dare you subject my son to your senseless Earth chatter? My son is not one of your idiotic human friends! He should train to be a great warrior, not like that third class weakling Kakorott! I will not have my son acting like Kakorott or his worthless spawn! I am the Prince of all Saiyans and you will listen to me!'"   
  
Bulma was laughing so hard it hurt as he finished. "You sounded so much like Vegeta it was almost like having him here."   
  
Trunks smiled victoriously, and turned to leave again, but he stopped and turned his head back to his mom, saying, "But I bet through your bond... he'd tell he loves you anyway," before disappearing to the GR.   
  
Bulma smiled as a tear slid down her cheek. "Yeah... I'm sure he would."  
  
~*~  
  
It was later in the day, Trunks still not emerging from his "second home" and Pan still moping around in her room. At least she ate without being forced, that was a good start, but not good enough for Videl, who was explaining her fears to Bulma.   
  
"I just don't know what to do about it, Bulma," She said. You could tell by her eyes that she was worried and defeated. "She doesn't do anything."  
  
"Trunks is the same way," Bulma replied. "All he does is train... but today he actually ate this morning... and we had a nice little conversation. Have you tried food to get her to come out? You know those Saiyans..."  
  
Videl smiled weakly. "Yeah, I tried already. She eats sometimes... but she never talks to me. It scares me a little bit. She would always talk to me if it involved Trunks. She told me about how she feels about him and everything."   
  
Bulma narrowed her eyes, a little more intrigued than surprised. "How she feels about him?"  
  
Videl covered her mouth. "Oops... I said too much."   
  
"I promise I won't tell anybody," Bulma said. "C'mon... spill it!" She looked like a gossipy teenager as she leaned forward in her chair, and Videl laughed.   
  
"Ok, but I'm not supposed to tell you," Videl paused as she groped for the right words. "You remember that night we all had dinner here, with Pyra?" Bulma nodded and waited for her to continue. "Well, when I was scolding her for what she did, she kind of blurted out her real reason why she was so mad at Pyra."   
  
"Which is?" Bulma said impatiently.   
  
"Pan's..." She paused and Bulma looked as if she was going to die from the suspense. "Pan's... in love with Trunks."   
  
Bulma's blue eyes widened as she threw her hands up and shrieked so loud Videl was sure glass could crack in that room. "She's in love with him? Oh my Kami! I can't believe it! They would make such a cute couple! And you know, I think Trunks has a little thing for Pan too."  
  
"What makes you so sure?" Videl was the one curious now.   
  
"It's a motherly instinct I guess," Bulma replied as she smiled. "There's just something about the way he avoided Pan all that time since Pyra came into the picture," The way Bulma said Pyra's name, as though it was the most revolting thing in the world, made Videl smile. "And he always acts weird around her before they had their fight. He must be scared or confused about his feelings..." Bulma trailed off as she thought about it and Videl agreed with her.  
  
"But the question is," Videl started. "How do you we get them together?"  
  
Bulma cracked an evil smirk that would've made Vegeta proud. "I thought you'd never ask..."  
  
~*~  
  
Pan sighed as she paced the kitchen. She'd finally mustered up enough courage to get out of her room before nightfall, and after she took a much needed shower she changed her clothes, looking a lot like herself with a blue bandanna tied around her head to match her blue jeans and blue shirt. Now she was in the kitchen, debating on what she wanted to eat.   
  
Xavier had influenced her to live again, which shocked her, but she found that it didn't seem to hurt that much anymore. She still missed Trunks, but she decided that she could handle it in the world outside her room, where she could get the support of the people who still loved her.   
  
She heard a slamming sound and she snapped her head around just in time to see her mother walking into the kitchen with a smile on her face. She was obviously pleased to see her daughter outside her room without being forced.   
  
Videl put her hands on her hips and said, "Well, well, well. Look who's come out of her cocoon."   
  
Pan smiled and sat down in a chair. "Xavier came by to see me last night, and I think that's what motivated me."  
  
"I'm glad to here it," Videl replied as she walked over to the refrigerator. "Are you hungry?"  
  
Pan nodded her head violently and Videl smiled. As she put various things on the stove and started to cook, Pan debated on whether or not to ask her mom something she'd been wanting to know all day, or rather most of her life. She tapped her fingers on the table as she did so, and Videl recognized the nervous gesture almost immediately.   
  
"Alright," Videl sighed as she turned around to face her daughter. "What do you have to ask me?"  
  
Pan half-smiled and lowered her head slightly. "You know me too well."  
  
"A good mother should," Videl crossed her arms over her chest. "Now, spit it out."  
  
Pan let out a shaky sigh and looked her mother straight in the eye. "I've been thinking... I know I've asked you before but..." Videl held her breath, she knew what was coming. "You never tell me much... and I am 18 years old... I just want to know something about him... about my father."   
  
Videl sighed and sat at the table, across from Pan. "I was afraid of that."  
  
"I know it's painful," Pan put a gentle hand on Videl's shoulder. "But I just want to know anything... even the smallest detail... like what he smelled like... or how he laughed... what characteristics I got from him."   
  
Videl smiled. "Well, there's that rubbing your head thing that you do."   
  
Pan narrowed her eyes and scratched the back of her head. "What rubbing my head thing?"   
  
Videl laughed. "The thing you're doing right now."   
  
Pan brought her hand in front of her face and looked at it as if it was what confused her, and then she blushed and laughed along with her mom. "So what else do I get from my dad?"   
  
Videl leaned back in her chair and tapped her mouth with her finger. "Well, from what Gohan told me, I would say that you get your temper from his mother," She smiled. "Or either me or my mother... maybe it's a combination... And you get your eyes from him-"  
  
"Trunks told me that," Pan blurted out, then the smile that seemed to be plastered on her face forever faded as she thought of him. "I miss him so much, Mom."  
  
"I know," Videl replied sympathetically. "That's how I feel about your father when I think of him... He was my everything until he died... then you came later that day so I didn't have much time to mourn."   
  
Pan nodded. "I wish I could've met him."  
  
"So do I. You know, he adored you as soon as I told him I was pregnant. And he just knew you were going to be a girl too, and he insisted that you were named Pan Chichi Son."   
  
Pan looked pleased and astonished. "You mean he never wanted a son? To carry on the bloodline and to be a fighter and everything?"   
  
Videl shook her head. "No. I guess he figured you'd be a fighter anyway with both of our genes in you." She deliberately left out the part about her nervous feelings of the prospect of having a girl.   
  
"He sounds so wonderful..." Pan smiled as she envisioned what he looked like... what he smelled like... how he talked...  
  
"Wait a minute," Videl said as she snapped her fingers, having got an idea suddenly. The sudden movement broke Pan's fantasies and she immediately transfixed her eyes to the older, raven-haired woman across from her. "Hold on one second." Videl practically flew out of the kitchen and down the hall as Pan blinked a few times, wondering what on Earth her mother was going to do.   
  
It seemed like hours before Videl came back, a box that looked like it had a million years of dust on it in her hands. It was about as big as a shoebox (one of those big ass size 12 in Men's shoeboxes), and as she opened it and sat it on the table, Pan looked at her with questionable eyes, wondering what the hell she was going to pull out of there. She lowered her glance once Videl sat down in her chair, and noticed what was in it.   
  
The box contained old, worn, possibly sentimental items. She saw various pictures of her mother with Bulma, Trunks, and some other dark-haired man. She also saw Bulma with some other people, including a man with unruly, spiky black hair dressed in a gi, a man with three eyes, and some weird looking green guy with antennas and a turban. She looked up at her mother with confusion, and Videl answered the question her eyes were asking.   
  
"This is some of my 'treasured' items," She replied. "Some of them are your father's old trinkets I got... after he died."   
  
Pan nodded as she pulled the box closer to her and looked through the dusty things, fascinated by her mother's beauty in her younger days, and of Bulma's. They were impressive, as were the men that appeared beside them. She had her eyes fixed on the picture with Bulma, Trunks, her mother, and someone else, not being able to keep her eyes off of that someone else. It was like she knew him somewhere before, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. His black eyes were a clue to what she didn't know yet, and Videl grabbed the picture from her, curious as to what she found so damn interesting.   
  
"Oh," Videl said as she smiled once again. "I remember this picture." She sighed. "This was taken before I got pregnant... before my figure went to hell."   
  
Pan grinned as Videl handed the picture back to her, and she pointed to the black-haired man as if Videl could see him and said, "Who's this guy in the orange and blue gi?"  
  
Videl seemed to be smiling a lot that night. "That's your father, Pan."   
  
Pan's mouth dropped and her eyes widened slightly as the realization hit her, and suddenly, she started to cry. "He... He's just like I imagined." She frowned when she noticed something else. "What happened to his arm?"  
  
Videl lowered her blue eyes. "Androids," She said simply.   
  
Pan nodded and wiped away her tears as she put the picture away and looked at the other things in there. She stared at their wedding picture, amazed at how her mother and father's simplicity made them look so godly, and she also caught a glimpse of Bulma and who she assumed was Trunks' father in some weird armor and spandex body suit. She also saw Gohan's parents, unknowingly, and Videl pointed out her parents, and she had to stifle a giggle when she got a load of her grandfather's hair.   
  
Another picture caught her eye more than any of them, and she almost cried all over again at the sight. Videl was smiling her ass off, her hair back in a high ponytail, her blue eyes gleaming with joy. Gohan was behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, a look of equal happiness on his face as he rested his head on top of hers. She noticed then where she got her wide grin she tended to use, and more clearly her thick hair and onyx eyes. She assumed the picture was taken way before they got married, since he had both arms and Videl looked a lot younger and innocent than she did in their wedding picture, and they both looked so blissfully happy that it almost made her sad all over again, thinking about Trunks and wishing they could be like that some day.   
  
She pushed her thoughts aside and showed the picture to Videl. "Can I have this, Mom?"  
  
Videl thought about it for awhile, a little hesitant, but she nodded anyway and Pan let out a squeal of delight and ran to her room to find a place for it. But before she got there, she skidded to a halt and went back into the kitchen, saying, "Thanks, Mom... for the picture and for talking to me..."  
  
"No problem," Videl smiled, then noticed that her attempt at dinner was just that, an attempt. An attempt gone wrong as she noticed the faint smell of something burning fill the house.   
  
Pan turned around again, but turned back around and added, "And Mom... I love you."  
  
Videl turned momentarily and smiled at her daughter's retreating figure before fighting with the charred remains of what used to be edible that burned on the stove.   
  
~*~  
  
Trunks growled as he powered up into a Super Saiyan, dropping into a fighting stance on his imaginary opponent. Today was the hardest he'd trained in the GR, and he knew exactly why. He was angry at himself. His mother had awakened a new question and a new reason to be guilty for shutting Pan out of his life. The truth was, his mother was right, there was nothing different from any other time Pan pissed him off, and he had no reason to punish her that way.   
  
So she played a practical joke on his girlfriend that drove her to insanity. Big deal. It wasn't like he was in love with her, she was just a casual fling, and even though he knew he meant a lot more to Pyra than she did to him (or at least he suspected), he didn't feel anything for her except maybe for lust and hatred. Lust for obvious reasons, and hatred for what she'd driven Pan to and what that led to. Now she was out of his life forever, and she probably hated his guts.   
  
He was so angry, confused, hurt, and distracted, that he forgot the two ki blasts he'd sent flying minutes before. They came so fast that he didn't have time to block them, and they went straight for the two golden straps that held up his armor. The impact sent him to the ground, and his armor flew off of him as he did so. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his head, glancing at the now useless armor that lay on the ground. With some difficulty, he headed over to the control console of the GR and punched in a few buttons, the gravity returning to normal. He sighed as his muscles relaxed and walked across the GR to a hidden room in the back.   
  
Inside the room was where he had found the body suit and armor in the first place, along with other dusty things that he didn't dare to touch. He rummaged through the cabinets in the room, looking for some armor to replace his, and his whole body went numb and his face drained of color when his hands fell upon something he never wanted to see again.   
  
There it was. A faded blue and white shirt with Capsule Corp. written across it, a huge, pungent, red stain on it. He also saw his faded, matching pants, also smeared with the same red stain.   
  
He remembered throwing them there after Gohan's death, thinking that if he put them there he was bound to never see them ever again. He never thought he'd get around to ever venturing the GR in his life, and now he suddenly remembered that he could've just thrown them away to avoid the pain that was consuming him. But he didn't, and now it was like they were there to mock him, like a ghost sent to scare the shit out of him. They were a painful reminder of an event he wanted to forget, a sharp knife sent to tear at the already healing scar in his heart.   
  
He sank to his knees, gripping them in his gloved hands as tears ran down his face like the same uncontrollable rivers that ran down his face that fateful day. He'd never felt this way... not in a long time... and suddenly, everything was coming back to haunt him. Visions of what he and Gohan had flashed through his mind... then his bloody, disgusting body as he died in his arms... his last words... Videl's face when she heard the news... then Pan's childhood... they're growing friendship... and the horrible way it ended. It all came crashing down on him in one blow, and it was so overwhelming he couldn't breathe. He just cried, and he felt his ki rise rapidly as that sadness turned into fury. His hair flashed from lavender to gold and his eyes were now green as a blinding gold light engulfed his body. The items in the open cabinet came crashing to the floor as his power forced a small earthquake-like feeling, and he felt his hair tingle, like it wanted to grow or something. His eyebrows blinked in and out of view and he clenched his fists together so hard that he actually drew blood. He bolted upright and let out an agonizing scream. And just as he felt so powerful and fulfilled, he couldn't take it, and he changed back to his normal state as he collapsed, backwards, to the ground, panting. He had hit something sharp on the way down, and he could feel the blood rush out of his arm as the violent pain ran through him, accompanying the sharp pain in his soul.   
  
~*~  
  
Pan gasped and immediately turned her head in the direction of the GR through her window. She'd felt ki surges all day, and small "earthquakes", but just dismissed them, but this one came and went so quickly that she was worried. But it was so strong though, it couldn't be Trunks, but she knew that was the only person that could be in the GR and it was so undeniably Saiyan... without thinking she jumped off her bed, threw on some shoes, and flew out of her window and over to the GR.   
  
She was there less than a minute later, and after trying to open the door twice without success, she just blew a hole straight threw it.   
  
"Trunks?" She called out desperately, but she saw him nowhere. Then she felt his faint ki and barely heard a moan coming from another room, and quickly ran there and gasped at what she saw.   
  
Clothes and various other items were sprawled all over the place and Trunks was lying in the middle of the floor, moaning in pain in a blue spandex suit. She ran over to him and called out his name, but all she got was another painful moan and he started to thrash around aggressively. She looked down and noticed his left arm had a large gash on it that was bleeding profusely. She looked away from it almost instantly, and said his name again, softer, as she ran her hand through his hair, and he seemed to calm down then.   
  
His eyes fluttered open and immediately came in contact with her dark ones, full of worry and concern as she smiled weakly at him.   
  
"Are you ok?" She asked.   
  
Trunks groaned again, and tried to sit up, but felt too drained to do it himself. Pan helped him, and he turned his head to her and nodded slightly. "I think so. I feel like shit though."  
  
"I can see that," She said, glancing at his injured arm again.   
  
He followed her eyes and made a sickening face as he saw the blood gushing out of his arm. They both turned their heads to see his sword sitting inches behind them, blood dripping from it. Well, they had their culprit.   
  
"I guess I brushed against it when I fell," Trunks said weakly.   
  
Pan stood up and walked over to one of the cabinets. She looked at some of the contents that weren't on the floor, and found an old shirt. She grabbed it and knelt beside Trunks again, asking, "What happened, Trunks?"   
  
Trunks winced as she ripped part of the spandex on his arm and replied, "Just got carried away."  
  
She frowned and wrapped the shirt tightly around the wound to stop the bleeding. "Looks like you were trying to kill yourself. And the power I felt a little while ago felt awfully large for you to 'just get carried away'."  
  
He winced again at the pressure on his arm. "Well..." But he didn't have time to finish his sentence when she spotted the articles of clothing next to him, the same ones that had driven him to insanity.   
  
"What's this?" She asked as she held up the blood soaked garments. And with her Saiyan senses, she could still smell the blood faintly, and scrunched her nose up at the smell.   
  
Trunks lowered his eyes as he answered, "Those were... those were the clothes I wore... when... when your father died." His voice cracked as he said the last few words, and it was obvious now to her that he'd been crying, and that he might start again any minute.  
  
Pan muttered an, "oh", before dropping the clothes back to the floor. Trunks looked at her suddenly, and she could see the more detailed explanation in his eyes. She knew him so well that just one look could tell a whole story, and she put a hand on his shoulder that told him she understood. It was then that she noticed what he was wearing, and she fought to ignore his muscles as she focused on his crystal blue eyes again.   
  
Trunks looked down at his arm, the once white shirt now blood red. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"  
  
She smiled. "You don't remember?" He narrowed his eyes, convincing her that he didn't, and she lifted up the left leg of her pants, revealing a faint scar on her calf. "You taught me that... when the Androids attacked me that one time..."   
  
He nodded. He remembered now. And it was that moment, and other memories, that gave him the fuel to kill them once and for all. He also remembered the panic he felt wondering if she was hurt badly, and he now realized how much she really meant to him, and how much of a fool he was to hurt her like he did.   
  
He turned away from her in shame. "Pan..."  
  
"Hmm?" Pan murmured as she wrapped another shirt tightly around his arm.   
  
"Pan...," He said again, so softly that she barely heard him. "I'm... sorry."  
  
"For what?" She asked.  
  
"You know," He said. "About... getting so mad at you... for what you did to Pyra... and shutting you out of my life... it was crazy.... I was just so mad, I blurted out whatever came to mind... I'm sorry Panny... I never meant to hurt you.... I never meant to make you cry..." (A/N: Hehe, did you see where that was going? Haha, I'm such an idiot.)  
  
"How'd you know I cried?" Pan asked. - I know I did that after he left...-  
  
"Uh.. a guess... I uh guess."  
  
Pan nodded. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have done that to Pyra. It was stupid... I'm so sorry Trunks." She laughed then. "I can't believe I almost forgot what happened. I guess I was so worried about you, you were all I could think of."  
  
Trunks smiled. "Thanks... for helping me and everything."  
  
"No problem," She smiled. "Anything for Trunks-kun." And then, more worriedly, "We are friends again, right?"   
  
"Right," Trunks said with a smile as he extended his hand. She happily accepted, but as they looked into each other's eyes, it was evident that there was more to it than just friendship, and they barely even noticed their faces inch closer and closer together, until their lips were touching. Pan's eyes flew open when she noticed, but she closed her eyes again and just kept thinking of what a dream this was. But when their lips parted, and he smiled at her, his eyes told her again that it wasn't a dream. It was as real as reality gets.   
  
She didn't have time to think about it again, or to be excited about what had just happened, when he kissed her again, but they were cut short when they heard an annoying, familiar, female voice say, "Oh... my... Kami."   
  
They both pulled away and looked up in the direction of the voice and Trunks went pale while Pan's eyes fixed themselves into an intimidating glare. Because not only was there a person standing there, interrupting their tender moment, but that person was the main reason for their dispute in the first place. Yep, you guessed it. In front of them, with her arms crossed over her chest, was an angry Pyra Flame.   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Yay!!!! They finally kissed! I never expected that... and I'm the damn author! Well, what do you think will happen next... or what do you want to happen next? As you can see, I did kind of take an idea from someone in order for this last scene to work (Aerowhynne, thanks again), so if you have some ideas, I might work with them a little bit and adjust them to my liking. And thank you again for all the reviews. This is the most successful fic I've ever written. I guess I know where the success is at now... in T/P's! And you can definitely expect another one after this, or after I finish another one of my fics. Well, you know the drill. Review, and if you want, I'll email you when the next chapter's out.   
  
Next Chapter: More Pan vs. Pyra action... although whether it's verbal, physical, or otherwise, I don't know yet, so this chapter is pretty much undetermined. I went in a totally opposite direction than I was originally planning to, so yeah... you'll have to be genuinely surprised next time. But, suspect either the final get-together, another fight (between who, I'll leave out), or a postponement of the get-together until the Pyra bitch is finally out of the way. Ok? Ok. 


	8. Chapter 8

Had to work double overtime to get this out today. I was trying to work fast because we're poor and we're getting our AOL cut off. Don't worry, I'll still be able to update, but the alternative Internet source we have is very slow and often freezes, so I wanted to use the benefits of AOL while I still can. Anyway, as for what this chapter has in store... well, the only way to describe it would be, "chaos". You'll see what I mean... hehehe.   
  
Special Thanks To Reviews From:  
Brandon B  
pan86  
zighawk- Ok, I have about 3 AIM names. I have FireNCornbread (big surprise, eh?), WhoImIs251918, and CerealKillerJess. And you can talk to me just about whenever, except weekdays I'll be on anywhere from 4:00 p.m. (Central Time, that is) to 10:00 p.m. And no, I don't know where you can find any good anime music videos actually, but maybe you should try blackgoku.com or www.dbzdominion.net for DBZ ones.   
ills  
Matt- Thanks for the idea, although I kind of changed it a little bit, it's not exactly how you said it, but I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't said anything, so thank you very much so. : )  
Mii-chan  
Netty  
pannygurly- Sorry I didn't update it as soon as you wanted me too, but I'll still take the imaginary cookie : ) ...although cornbread would be best...  
  
Disclaimer: This thing gets pretty annoying. There's only so many ways that you can say "I don't own DBZ" before it gets repetitive, but I'll give it a shot... The ownership of the anime entitled Dragonball Z, does not, has not, and unfortunately never will be associated with me, the ever magnificent, intellectual, "Goddess of Anger" and the always scowling "Princess of Bitchiness", Leather Face.   
  
  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Trunks slowly stood up from the floor of the hidden room in his father's GR, bringing Pan along with him. He stared at Pyra, her arms crossed over her chest, as if she was a ghost. No matter how many times he blinked and looked back at Pan, who's hands he was still holding, Pyra just wouldn't disappear. Damn it. Why was Kami so cruel?   
  
"Uh... Pyra..." He stuttered, glancing back and forth from her to Pan. "Wh... What are you doing here?"  
  
"That's beside the point," She replied in a nasty tone, then pointed at Pan. "What is SHE doing here?"   
  
Pan looked at the other two people in the room and sighed, letting go of Trunks' hands. She decided to actually be an adult for once and let these two work things out for themselves. She told Trunks as much as she left quietly out of the room.   
  
"Wait, Pan!" Trunks called, but she only shook her head and kept walking.   
  
Trunks also sighed and ran a hand through his hair as Pyra came up to him, fussing over his wounded arm and questioning him about what he and Pan were just doing (although you would think it would be quite obvious), but he couldn't hear her. He was too busy running out of the GR and trying to catch Pan. But she had already climbed into her window and closed it when he got outside.   
  
~*~  
  
Pan sat down on her bed and let out an exasperated sigh. The one moment she's actually happy in a month's time, that stupid bitch had to come and ruin it. She knew it was too good to be true. But there was something about the way Trunks looked at her that told her that maybe, just maybe, he'd kick Pyra to the curb and come running back to her with open arms, ready push everything bad that ever happened between them away, so that they could start over again.   
  
Her heart stopped though as she looked back outside. Trunks and Pyra were enclosed in a tight lip-lock, and neither one of them looked like it was something repulsive or totally unacceptable. However, instead of sinking to the floor and crying like she wanted to do, she just shook her head and decided once and for all to give up on Trunks. It was obviously doing nothing for her. She just couldn't have him, simple as that. Sure, it hurt to see it, it hurt like hell, but it was time she let go.   
  
Trunks was just another one of those things Kami gave and took away...   
  
~*~  
  
"No!" An enraged father shouted from his perch in the heavens, or the Other World that is. He sat on the ground with his hands buried in his hair, as if he was going to rip it out through all the frustration he was under, which at the moment wouldn't be nearly as painful as watching his daughter in so much emotional pain.   
  
"Calm down, Gohan," Goku said, trying to console his son. He put his hands on his shoulders and felt him nearly trembling in anger.   
  
"How am I supposed to calm down?" Gohan screamed back, never taking his eyes off of the scene on Earth. "He hurt my little girl again! She's given up hope! I can't just sit here and do nothing about it whatsoever!"  
  
"You can't go back down there, Gohan," Goku told him in a stern, fatherly tone. "You can't change what's happened."  
  
"The hell he can't," Chichi disagreed as she approached her husband and son. "He can't just do that to my granddaughter and get away with it." In Chichi's eyes, if her son could help protect the world when he was just a child, he was capable of doing anything and everything he set his mind to, dead or not.   
  
Goku sighed. He too felt almost as stressed out as Gohan did, having to listen to his wife and son bicker and fight with him about what was right and what was wrong and whether or not to intervene in the Pan/Trunks situation. Goku had admitted that he didn't have such good feelings about Trunks at the moment either, but he, along with the Supreme Kai, told Gohan there was nothing more he could do. So he'd been sitting there stewing in his own anger, and just as soon as the tiniest glimmer of hope had shone up, it died. Goku felt sorry for his son, and granddaughter, but he was powerless to stop any of it. And Gohan knew that too, he was just a little more stubborn than Goku thought.   
  
"Look at her, Dad," Gohan said miserably as he stared at his daughter. "She's totally numb now. She has no feelings... almost like... Vegeta."  
  
"You say that like it's a bad thing."  
  
The Sons turned around to the always scowling Prince of Saiyans who was, as usual, leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed over his chest. He'd also been monitoring the events on Earth, not that he was trying to check up on his brat or anything (yeah right), but because it seemed to have Kakarrot and his spawn all worked up, leaving him without a decent sparring partner and nothing else to do.   
  
"Don't you want your son to find happiness?" Gohan asked Vegeta, never once turning his head away from the vision of Pan. "Do you want him to end up cold like you?"  
  
"Why not?" Vegeta replied. "It'll make him a good warrior that way. And it'll do your brat good too, boy." He received irritated looks and groans from the Sons, but he surprised them with his next statement, "Besides, I obviously couldn't have been that cold-hearted... I bonded with the woman..."  
  
Everyone stared at him wide-eyed, wondering what in hell made him come to that conclusion. It was true, but for him to admit that he actually loved someone, although not in those words, was a damn miracle. It was almost more unbelievable than any Saiyan having a loss of appetite.   
  
Having reviewed that information in his mind, Gohan grinned almost sadistically as he walked over to Vegeta. "Vegeta, I have a little proposition for you..."  
  
~*~  
  
Trunks pushed the evil redhead off of him and stared at her audacity. He had just gotten through telling her, or trying to explain to her, that it was over, and she had the nerve to kiss him. What was this bitch's problem?   
  
He looked across the yard towards Pan's house, and when he saw her head lower from her window, he could've died. He knew what she must be thinking, but as he attempted to walk over there and straighten things out, Pyra grabbed his arm.   
  
"Would you get off me, Pyra!" He shouted to her, yanking his uninjured arm free, but she grabbed it again. "What the hell is your problem?"  
  
"What the hell is YOUR problem?" Pyra asked as he yanked his arm free again. She walked with him as he advanced towards the Son house. "How dare you go to her after what she did to me?"  
  
Trunks stopped suddenly, Pyra bumping into the back of him. Without turning to her, he asked in a very irritated, very low, angry voice, "What did she do to you, Pyra?"  
  
Pyra crossed her arms over her chest again, and although he couldn't see her, he knew her face was twisted up in an infuriated expression. "SHE put me in that mental hospital, that's what she did."  
  
Trunks groaned, wondering what the hell he was smoking when he thought going out with this bitch was a good idea, why Gohan didn't kill him for making such a stupid mistake, and why Kami permitted a woman this imprudent to walk the Earth. "Look, Pyra, you have no clue Pan was the one who did that to you, and you know it." She did do it of course, but Pyra had no evidence to pin her to the "crime". Just because they didn't have the best relationship wasn't enough. It was the principle of the thing, and for once, Trunks felt like beating her senseless instead of Pan feeling that way, like she usually did.   
  
"Who else would do it?" Pyra asked, still irritated that he would even suggest that she was wrong.   
  
Trunks whipped around then, his anger getting the best of him. "Damn it, Pyra, how the hell am I supposed to know? And more importantly, who the fuck told you that I even wanted to go back to you when you got out of the funny farm? What gives you the right to come in here, demanding explanations for things that are none of your business any more?! This is my life and you have no right to think I belong to you!" He sighed loudly then. Pyra was more irksome (A/N: Haha, very funny word.) than a rash would be if he had one. "How the hell did you get out anyway?"   
  
Pyra blinked a few times, a little scared. She'd never seen him angry before, especially not this angry. She lowered her voice and her head as she answered this time. "My brother, the one who's a lawyer, threatened to sue them if they didn't release me. And my other brother, he's a doctor, got some papers or something declaring me mentally competent." She looked up at him, with sad blue eyes, pleading to him. "And I never thought you belonged to me. I just thought.... I never realized that my... incarceration would make you want to leave me... especially for HER."   
  
Trunks had almost felt sorry for her, until that last statement. The way she said, "her" made his once decreasing anger rise up again, but he was still calmer than before. He sighed once again, thinking it was probably as good a time as any to tell her exactly why he ever went out with her in the first place.   
  
~*~  
  
"I can not believe I let you drag me back down to this dreadful mud ball of a planet," An angry, raspy voice said to his taller but younger companion. "I thought I left this piece of shit forever when I died!"   
  
"Oh, shut up, Vegeta," Gohan answered. "Keep your bullshit to yourself. I'm not in the mood, and we have a job to do."  
  
Vegeta mumbled some obscenities under his breath, while walking across the Capsule Corp. lawn behind Gohan. He didn't want to go back to Earth, but the only reason he did was because Gohan promised him a week's worth of sparring if he cooperated and did exactly what he asked him to. They practically had to beg the Supreme Kai to let them come back down, but the catch was that they only had an hour to do their business and then they were automatically transported back to the Other World, no exceptions. Vegeta's only real problem with that was that he couldn't see the woman.   
  
Almost as an after thought he looked inside one of the windows of the house and stared at her for awhile. She looked just like he remembered, not that much older or anything. Her blue hair was the same, her eyes were the same, and as she laughed with Kakarrot's brat's mate, he noticed even that was the same. It was a shame she couldn't see him, and he almost felt sad as he watched her, but Kakarrot's brat's whining and calling his name snapped him out of his trance.  
  
"Stupid half-breeds and their over-angered tendencies..."   
  
~*~  
  
"Listen, Pyra," Trunks started, trying to form the right words so that he didn't hurt or anger her in any way, but so she got the message that he wanted her out of his life. It was pretty hard, especially when she proved to be very emotional and attached when it came to the lavender-haired warrior. "I have to tell you something."  
  
"No, you don't," Pyra answered, her voice quick and urgent. Her eyes somehow grew wider, and she looked excessively panicked and paranoid as she kept glancing all around her. "You don't have to tell me anything... that's nonsense."  
  
"Are you ok?" Trunks asked, turning her face to his. She looked so frightened that he almost didn't want to tell her, but when she nodded and seemed to calm down a little bit, he cleared his throat, and with one last sigh, he began with, "I know this is going to be hard for you to understand, and you're going to be angry..."  
  
"Trunks!"   
  
Trunks stopped and looked in the direction of the voice he'd just heard, hoping it wasn't the voice he thought he heard. When his suspicions were confirmed, his mouth dropped, and the increasingly blinding light that slowly formed around the owner of the angry voice, made his heart take an athletic leap into his throat.   
  
"Not now... I don't want to die now..." He muttered, attempting to swallow his heart back down.   
  
Pyra narrowed her eyes and turned her head, following the direction of his terrified, crystal blue eyes, but she didn't see the angry half-Saiyan of course, the halo above his head glowing as brightly as the golden aura around him.   
  
"Trunks, what the hell is your problem?" His voice was low and vehemence flowed off it like waterfalls of anger.   
  
"Gohan, this isn't the time..." Trunks said through gritted teeth, gesturing with his eyes towards the bewildered red-head in front of him.   
  
"Trunks, who are you talking to?" Pyra asked, looking like a scared child as she clung to him.   
  
However, she didn't get answered, and through her eyes, Trunks suddenly broke free of her and his wounded arm was raised, and apparently a hurtful pressure was being exerted on it, for he started to wail with pain.   
  
"Gohan, let go of my arm!" Trunks screamed. "It already feels like a train ran over it!"   
  
"You think I give a fuck?!" Gohan screamed back, purposely putting more pressure on Trunks' arm, making him almost weak in the knees from the pain. "All I do give a fuck about is my family, and you have to constantly screw my only daughter over because you have a dumb ass, selfish, manipulative, red-head fetish!"   
  
Trunks looked at the red-head that was just mentioned, her eyes more frightened than ever. However, it wasn't that that made him curious and frightened, it was the low, evil yet familiar laugh of someone behind Gohan. Again his heart made a detour to his throat when the person was revealed.   
  
"You brought my father along?" Trunks said, still weak from the pain in his arm. "Are you that twisted?"  
  
The smirk that tugged at his friend's lips proved it, and if Trunks could feel anything except pain, he was sure he would've shit his pants right then and there.   
  
"Trunks, are you ok?" Pyra asked cautiously, trying to move forward, her legs not cooperating with what her brain was telling them to do. Again she was ignored, but at that moment she wasn't so sure that it was a bad thing.   
  
"Gohan... please..." Trunks was practically in tears by now, and to his surprise, Gohan actually complied. But he wasn't expecting the blow that replaced it, which was a gut-spewing blow to the stomach. He fell to his knees, gasping for air, which somehow proved to be more difficult than it should be. What is it with these Sons and their gut punches?  
  
"Trunks!" Pyra screamed. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Listen to me, kid," Gohan commanded, his voice showing no compassion whatsoever, only the anger than flowed in never-ending streams. "You are going to go in there and apologize to her, and tell her how you feel."  
  
"Don't you think I've tried that?" Trunks croaked out, still choking and gasping. "It's kind of hard when... you're being distracted."  
  
Speaking of distractions, one more person made it on the scene, and much to Trunks' chagrin, it was Videl. The only one who was probably happy to see her would be Gohan, but he was too angry and too focused on the victim at his knees, in so much pain that it actually pleased the older half-Saiyan. Vegeta noticed this and made a mental note of how to get Gohan's power rising, for a more interesting and entertaining sparring match.   
  
"Trunks..." Videl stopped what she was saying when she noticed the shape Trunks was in, and knelt down to him, draping her arm across his shoulders. "Trunks, are you ok?"  
  
"Uh... I think so," Trunks croaked out, having finally found a sufficient amount of air so that his lungs refrained from the urge to make him gasp. He stood up with her, and then he asked her, "What are you doing here?"  
  
Videl's concerned face became more calm then, trying her best to remember what she was going to say. When it hit her, she became concerned again. "Trunks... there's something wrong with Pan."  
  
"What?!" Trunks practically shrieked, along with Gohan, who's anger flowed away like the glowing aura of his Super Saiyan qualities. "What are you talking about? I just saw her not too long ago and she seemed fine."  
  
"You did?" Videl asked, looking a little panicked and pissed at the same time. "Aw... shit..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a black walkie-talkie, and called into it, "Bulma, 'Plan A' backfired."   
  
"What?" Bulma's voice was so high pitched that it made the Saiyans wince at the pain it inflicted.   
  
"Plan A?" Trunks questioned Videl.   
  
She laughed nervously, and scratched the back of her head in a sheepish way, just like a Son. "Is that what I said?... heh heh... whoops."   
  
Trunks raised an eyebrow and sweatdropped, but was pulled out of his confusion when he was suddenly jerked around by the collar of his spandex suit, being brought face to face with his furious father.   
  
"Listen, brat," Vegeta said harshly, which was actually his normal tone. "I don't want to hear another word about this. You are going to do whatever Kakarrot's brat tells you, because I'm already sick of this nonsense you've put me through on this pathetic excuse for a planet."  
  
By this time, Pyra was back to questioning him, so frightened she didn't know what to do, and Bulma had arrived on the scene, arguing with Videl and accusing her of ruining "Plan A". And while all this was going on, Vegeta was shaking Trunks so hard that his teeth rattled in his head, and Gohan was beginning to show his Saiyan side again, commanding Vegeta to let him get a piece of Trunks before he kills him.   
  
Trunks was ready to cower in a corner somewhere, his fright triggered by the overwhelming voices around him. - Please let me die... please let me die... Oh, Kami please let die!-  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Everyone stopped and turned to look at Pan, who had just climbed out of her window, wondering what the hell all of the shouting was about. She cocked her head to the side in confusion, and as soon as Vegeta let his guard down, Trunks ran over to Pan and hid behind her.   
  
"Pan, please make them stop!" Trunks demanded. He'd had enough of this for one night.   
  
"What's... going on?" She repeated.   
  
"Well... uh..." Bulma started, trying to think of the best lie so that she saved her ass. "I don't know what Pyra's doing here, but me and Videl... well we were uh..."  
  
"We were trying to use a plan we made up to get you and Trunks together," Videl interrupted, earning a shove from Bulma. At that she told her, "It's easier and more believable than you stuttering."   
  
Pan looked behind her at the scared lavender-haired man clinging to her shirt, and she almost wanted to push him away, and go back to the hardened facade she'd created over the last 30 minutes, but instead she pulled him to her and hugged him, asking him if he was alright. He nodded, looking like a child as he continued to cling to her, earning a dreamy, "Awwwww," from Bulma and Videl, a smile from Gohan, an irritated grunt from Vegeta, and as Pyra's terror vanished, she responded by being outraged, a more Pyra-like attribute.   
  
"Looks like our plan didn't need to work," Bulma whispered to Videl, just as Pyra was advancing on the two hugging Saiyans. "Damn it, how the hell did she get back here anyway?"  
  
"Wait just a damn minute!" Pyra screamed, pulling Pan off of Trunks. "How dare you steal my boyfriend!"  
  
Trunks groaned and looked up at the blackened, night sky, wishing to Kami that she take his place and die now. "Pyra, I already told you..."  
  
"No, I'm not giving up that easily!" She shouted back.   
  
Pan's face twisted up into an evil smirk with an equally devilish glint in her black eyes. "Want to fight for him then?"   
  
Pyra thought about it for awhile, and after looking Pan up and down, she convinced herself that she could take her. "Alright, just give me some time to change clothes and everything... I don't think a skirt is appropriate fighting attire."   
  
"Fine," Pan said. "Meet me right back here in 20 minutes."   
  
The two women dispersed to their own destinations, Trunks following Pan to her room and the two mothers going to Bulma's to discuss, or rather gossip about the sudden events that just occurred, leaving the dead men outside to digest what exactly happened.   
  
"Damn it..." Gohan muttered, running a hand through his unruly, now black, hair. "I think I owe Trunks an apology."  
  
"And I think I'm going to have fun watching this fight," Vegeta said, smirking his trademark smirk. "It's definitely going to be entertaining."   
  
~*~  
  
"You don't have to do this, you know," Trunks told Pan as he sat on her bed and watched her tie a bandanna around her head. "You already have me... regardless of what Pyra thinks."  
  
Pan suddenly stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Trunks. Somehow she didn't really believe what he said was true. Could she really have him that fast? In a matter of minutes and two kisses, he was hers now? It just didn't seem possible.   
  
"Just like that?" She questioned him. "You're mine now, that quickly? No exceptions?"  
  
"None," Trunks told her, walking over to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I never should have dated Pyra in the first place... it was just that-"  
  
"Wait," Pan said, bringing her hand up, signaling silence. "Before you try to go into depth and explain things, I want to fight this bitch first. That way, I won't have anything on my mind, except for the battle... although I'm sure that not a lot of concentration is needed to beat that scrawny piece of shit."  
  
Trunks smiled. "Ok then. You go beat her ass for me."  
  
~*~  
  
By the time Pyra arrived, Pan was already on the ground stretching (not that she needed to). Trunks, Bulma, Videl, Gohan, and Vegeta were on the sidelines, Vegeta with a sadistic grin on his face, and while Bulma and Videl weren't showing it, they were certainly hoping to see an ass kicking. Gohan kept eyeing Trunks, trying to find the right words to apologize to him, while Trunks kept his eyes fixed on Pan. He was also forming the speech in his head, explaining his anxiety and fears about pursuing a relationship with his best friend. The process it took for them to finally to get to this point, was definitely interesting.   
  
Pan stood up from her stretching and cracked her knuckles and neck. "Ready bit... er... Pyra?"   
  
She smirked when she saw the angry look on Pyra's face. "Watch it little girl... and yeah, I'm ready."  
  
Gohan grinned as Pan growled at the "little girl" comment and dropped into a fighting stance. "Big mistake, Pyra."   
  
"Make the first move," Pan told her opponent, trying her best to intimidate her.   
  
Pyra did feel a little uneasy, since she was being stared at by a girl with the darkest eyes and hair she'd ever scene, giving her an always confident appearance, but she tried her best to look calm as she charged at Pan, throwing her fist at her as hard she could. Of course Pan caught it with ease, and smirked at her, making Pyra even more scared.   
  
Pan noticed this, however, and used it for an advantage. "What's the matter, Pyra? You scared?"  
  
Pyra growled and reared her fist back again, which Pan effectively caught. Feeling frustrated, Pyra launched a kick to Pan's stomach, which was caught mid-air also. Those two misses earned Pyra a kick to her stomach, sending her to the ground on her back, with a loud and pleasing thud.   
  
"Ouch..." Trunks muttered.   
  
"C'mon," Pan said as she gestured with her hands. "I know you can get up, I didn't put that much effort into it."   
  
Pyra slowly got up, but it was Pan who charged at her this time, throwing a harder kick from her right leg than before. Much to her surprise, Pyra managed to grab it before it connected. She smirked in triumph, but Pan shook her head at her early confidence. In one quick motion Pan swung the other leg up, kicked her square in the jaw, and caught herself before she hit the ground, pushing herself back up just in time to taunt Pyra again, who was back on the ground.   
  
"Can't take the strength of a 'little girl', eh Pyra?" Pan said, in her normal smart ass tone, which made Vegeta smirk. He was beginning to like Kakarrot's grand-brat. After all, she seemed just as cocky as he was. It was a shame Kakarrot and his brat weren't that way.   
  
Pyra groaned, wondering how the hell she got so strong when she was only 18 years old. Determined to prove herself, she got back up and charged at Pan, throwing any kind of punch or kick she could, making Pan literally yawn at the "competition" she was receiving.   
  
"Hey, Trunks," Gohan whispered, a more Gohan-like look on his face, a kinder, gentler, apologetic look. "I didn't mean to... go so crazy or anything. It's just that she's my only daughter... I'm protective of her..."  
  
"You don't have to explain anything," Trunks whispered back, trying to hide it from his mother who was shouting her encouragement to Pan next to him, so she didn't think he was talking to himself. "I know you get crazy when it comes to your family. I was in the wrong too. I shouldn't have played with her feelings like that. But I assure you, I was trying to get rid of Pyra today... things just kind of got out of hand..."  
  
Gohan grinned. "That's a major understatement."  
  
They both turned back to the fight that was taking place, just in time to see Pyra yet again on the ground, and Pan nearly in her face, taunting her like a child, totally amusing Vegeta.   
  
"C'mon, bitch!" Pan shouted, enjoying her victory way too much. "Get up! Don't let a 'little girl' beat you! What's the matter? Can't take it? But I bet you could take everything Trunks threw at you, you little whore!"   
  
Even Bulma and Videl couldn't help but laugh at that one, and Vegeta only laughed harder, while Gohan grinned and Trunks looked away, blushing slightly.   
  
"Kami knows it sounded like he almost killed her in the process," Bulma mumbled, more of a thinking-out-loud statement than a joke. It made everyone else laugh anyway, and Trunks felt he was going to die of mortification.   
  
By now Pyra finally had had enough of Pan's incessant name-calling and was back on her feet. But now she resulted in the technique of a perfect chick fight, rushing up to Pan and grabbing her hair, yanking it like she wanted to rip it right out.   
  
"Hey, bitch, let go!" Pan screamed, grabbing her hair as well. Now they were both clawing at each other with one hand and yanking each other's hair with the other, both of them screaming obscenities so loud that it made the Saiyans ears ring. Trunks found this as good a time as any to stop it, although everyone else seemed to be amused by it. He ran over to them and tried to pull them apart, only to get scratched at as well. He grabbed at Pyra then, seeing as how she should be easier to control. He stepped in front of her and grabbed her arms, while trying to stop Pan at the same time, which wasn't easy.   
  
"Alright, just calm down!" Trunks shouted, extending his arms out to hold the two women back. They complied, reluctantly, as Trunks continued, "I never should have let you two do this anyway." He turned to Pyra, with a concerned, remorseful look on his face, "I'm sorry, Pyra, but we're through. I can't go on like this with you... I'm sorry."   
  
Her anger faded on her face as Trunks dropped his arms at his sides. All she could do was nod as she walked away, but however sad she made herself look, Trunks saw not one tear or any sign of a tear in her eyes. He didn't know whether or not that meant she was in shock or if she was just waiting until she was out of sight before she broke down, but Vegeta saw her flirting with another guy across the street, and disappear with him, laughing like she didn't experience any kind of heartbreak. He shook his head, concluding that some human women were just too strange and vindictive for comprehension.   
  
It was then that Gohan and Vegeta began to fade a little bit, their hour's time almost up, but before he left, Gohan shot Trunks an encouraging, Son smile, the smile Trunks always remembered Gohan having, a smile that reminded him of the good old days, the days before all this chaos began, a smile way before Pan's time. He'd never forget that smile. It was the innocent smile only a good friend was capable of.   
  
"Well," Videl said as she walked up to Pan and Trunks. "I'm off to Bulma's... you two probably have a lot to discuss."  
  
Pan nodded before her mother disappeared with a grinning Bulma. She turned her attention to Trunks then, and ran a hand through his silky, lavender hair.   
  
"Now," She smiled, "What is it that you have to tell me?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
So, how'd you like it? You know that little thing down there that says "Submit Review" is always a good way to tell me. And speaking of reviews, this fic is my most successful, and the longest fic I've ever written so far. Thanks, you guys! You are true pimps for making my story, along with my ego, so big! This has to be the most fun I've ever had writing anything, so thank you once again. I can't stress that enough. Oh, and as always, ideas, flames, and over all criticism are embraced with open arms. And if you want, I'll be happy to email each and everyone of you fantastic reviewers when the next chapter is out.   
  
Next Chapter: It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Yep, in addition to Trunks and Pan talking things over and coming to a better understanding of where they stand now, more interesting things are going to occur. Hehehe... I'm so evil. 


	9. Chapter 9

Ok, here's chapter 9. And, it has the moment you've all been waiting for. Yep, you've had to suffer through 8 other chapters, now you get what you want. Once again, thank you to all the reviewers, because without you guys, this fic definitely wouldn't have lasted this long. I love you all!  
  
Special Thanks to Reviews From:  
Brandon B  
ills  
Mii-chan  
pan86  
Matt  
Netty  
Yokiko-Pan  
Hope  
Jami-chan  
  
Disclaimer: Hmm... how shall I phrase this... If I owned DBZ, let's just say I sure as hell wouldn't be spending my time writing this for free.   
  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Trunks sighed as he plopped on Pan's bed, both mentally drained and physically drained from the previous events that occurred that night. Luckily, his Saiyan genes helped heal his stab wound a lot faster, but the chaos of earlier left his brain in a puddle of incompetence that demanded rest of some sort, preferably sleep. His brain seemed to perk up however when the love of his life planted a kiss to his lips.   
  
"Don't start that," Trunks told her, when their lips parted. "Or I'll never get to the talk I promised you."  
  
Pan smiled mischievously and replied, "Personally, I think this is a lot more fun."   
  
And he didn't appear to object when she kissed him again, and again after that, and so on and so forth until neither one of them cared about anything but each other. It was one of those endearing acts of affection that made you want to cry at the tenderness of it all, and any idiot could see the power of the love they shared. It was even more powerful that an ascended Saiyan, and neither one of them could believe their good fortune, particularly Pan. It all happened so fast, all in a matter of hours her hopes and dreams, that she so adamantly gave up days before, all came true. All she wanted to do now was be with Trunks forever, to never let go of this special and rare, happy moment, to preserve it for all eternity.   
  
And as Trunks held her in his arms, a million things were going on in his head. All at once he thought about what to say to her when they finally stopped kissing, how he could be so lucky to have someone like her, and why kissing her seemed a lot more familiar than it should be. There was something about the way she kissed that made him wonder why it wasn't such a new experience when they kissed in the Gravity Room. He wanted to stop and ask her, but his hormones wouldn't allow such a thing. He'd just have to wait for that rare breath of air Pan stopped for.   
  
~*~  
  
"Can you believe it, Bulma?" Videl asked, still in awe that her child finally got the man of her dreams. "I mean, Trunks and Pan... our babies... together. It all seems so... weird."  
  
"I know," Bulma replied, sitting across from Videl in the kitchen and handing her a cup of coffee. She sipped on her own, then added, "It seems like Pan was just born yesterday... and their ages are so far apart..."  
  
"Yeah," Videl replied, then smiled. "But Trunks has always had enough immaturity to maintain a friendship with Pan, and she's always had enough maturity to match up with Trunks, so I think they'll be fine."  
  
"That's true," Bulma said with a smile.   
  
Videl looked down at her mug of coffee with a sort of hesitant look, as if trying to derive courage from the dark beverage. She looked up again, and the instant her lavender-blue eyes met the blue ones of her friend, she smiled desolately. "I feel kind of... I don't know... I just wondered why I didn't see any of this coming before.... I always thought Pan and I were close..."  
  
Bulma smiled sympathetically at her younger companion. "You are close.... closer than Trunks and I have ever been. You'd be surprised what kind of shit kids are capable of hiding."  
  
"Did you suspect that Trunks had feelings for Pan?" Videl asked with an almost hopeful look in her eyes, hoping that she wasn't the only one that wasn't as observant as she would've liked to be.   
  
"Well..." Bulma hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Sort of... it was just the way he acted around her that reminded me of Vegeta."  
  
Videl raised an eyebrow in interest. "Oh yeah? How's that?"  
  
Bulma grinned as she thought of the memories. "Well, before we started dating, he would act really funny around me. He'd start stuttering or making excuses for why he'd suddenly appear in the lab when I was working, and he trained a lot more than he usually did, in order to avoid me," She laughed. "Once I caught him trying to look into my room one night, and he stuttered so much I thought he was going to convulse or something." The two women laughed together at the thought of Vegeta losing control like that. It definitely wasn't a Vegeta-like attribute. "Later I learned, through our bond, that he did all those things because he was afraid of his feelings for me... he was afraid to fall in love with me. Believe me, if it wasn't for Vegeta, I would have been just as clueless as you were."  
  
Videl smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right... but still... Pan's had feelings for Trunks a lot longer than he's had feelings for her. How could I not have sensed that?"  
  
"Well," Bulma thought about it for awhile. "Maybe we just overlooked it and classified it as friendship... or just admiration, you know?"  
  
Videl nodded, not totally satisfied, but willing to accept it. She shook her head as she looked into her cup of coffee again and sighed. "Time passes so quickly, doesn't it?"  
  
"Sure does. At least you aren't an old woman, like me."  
  
Videl scoffed at that. "Shit, I'm close enough."  
  
Bulma smiled, but it faded a second later. "Wait a minute... are you saying I'm old?"  
  
The two women argued about it for awhile, as two Saiyan men looked down on them smiled from their usual place in the Other World, one of them with family and friends, mourning his lost chance to be with the family of his own, and the other one isolated, wishing he could've made more out of himself and stayed with his family a little longer, before his untimely end.   
  
~*~  
  
"Damn, Pan!" Trunks said, practically pushing Pan across the room so he could take a breather from kissing. "You're going to kill me if you keep this up!"  
  
Pan through her arms around his neck and smiled wickedly. "At least you'd die happy."  
  
Trunks laughed and pulled her into his lap. "I'll die after I explain what I wanted you to know."   
  
"And what is that?" Pan asked while switching her position in his lap, so that her head was resting on his chest.  
  
Trunks sighed and looked out of the window toward the GR. With his Saiyan sense of sight, he could see a clump of red hair on the ground, illuminated by the streetlight that stood in the distance, which made a smirk cross his lips. He looked back down at Pan, who looked so comfortable in his arms that she'd fall asleep within seconds. "I don't know how to start any of this... and I'm not sure you care... but I feel an obligation to tell you... or rather explain to you the reasons for my strange behavior these past few months... and why I ever went out with that controlling whore... whatever her name was..."  
  
Pan laughed. "Do my kisses cause memory loss, Trunks?"  
  
He grinned. "I guess so... but my point is..." He sighed again as he trailed off. He didn't think it would be so hard, but all of a sudden his brain wasn't fully functional, and the part that formed sentences was currently out of order. And he said as much to her with a grim, apologetic look on his face.  
  
"Just say what's in your heart," Pan told him. "Just be blunt about it. Say the words as they come into your head...," She sat up and gently touched his cheek and added, "You know, you don't have to tell me anything. I'm perfectly happy now, knowing that I have you through all the shit we've had to go through."   
  
But Trunks shook his head. He was determined to be perfectly honest with her. And he learned now that honesty wasn't always easy, even when it involved a person you loved. "No, I have to tell you this. I won't feel right unless I do." Taking one last deep breath, he began with, "I know I've been an ass to you lately, and I'm deeply sorry about it. The whole me-getting-mad-at-you-for-what-you-did-to-Pyra-thing was just something for me to put my frustration out on, I think, because by then, I'd pretty much made up my mind."  
  
"Made up your mind about what?" Pan asked as she looked him in the eye, her eyebrows creased in confusion.   
  
"About who I wanted to be with," He smiled at her and she smiled back, completely satisfied with that answer as she settled her head back on his chest. He ran a hand through her long, black hair as he continued, "I never should have gone out with her in the first place. The only reason I did was because I was so damn confused..."  
  
"About?" Pan asked again, although she was smiling, hoping it involved what she wanted it to be.   
  
"I was confused about my feelings for you. I started... well... falling in love with you...," Pan inwardly smiled as the words, "falling in love with you" echoed in her head, "and I was so confused because you're my best friend..., my dead friend's daughter to be exact... and you're so much younger than I am... it was all too much to digest at once... And then Pyra came along, the next day after your birthday in fact, and I just felt she'd be a way to ignore these feelings... to escape them, you know?"   
  
She nodded against his chest. "So you're telling me that you were a pussy and didn't want to be a man about it and admit your feelings to me?"  
  
Trunks grinned. It was just like Pan to get straight to the desired point, with no breaks in between. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. But it wasn't all it was cut out to be, as you can see. There were some terrible repercussions from my dispensation."   
  
"So you had no feelings for Pyra then?" Pan asked. Trunks sensed a small hint of anxiety in her voice, which was really uncharacteristic of her. "None whatsoever?"  
  
Trunks started to agree with her, but stopped. There was, in fact, a certain feeling for Pyra that he felt, which started with an "L", and had four letters, but it definitely wasn't love, and he wasn't sure he wanted to flat out tell Pan that. It was kind of an awkward thing, talking about your lust for your ex-girlfriend with your new one. "Well..."  
  
"I get it," Pan interrupted him before he got a chance to stutter. "It was just physical then?"  
  
He nodded, not wanting to say the words. The whole idea totally repulsed him now, and just thinking about saying the words left a bitter taste in his mouth that he'd never forget.   
  
But she shocked him with her next statement, "That's good."  
  
"Good?" He repeated, looking both shocked, confused, and amused at the way she analyzed certain facts. "How's that good?"   
  
"That tells me that I've been the only you've ever loved," She answered with a smile. "'Cause I know none of those other whores you've dated in the past have made you that happy." She kissed him again, and when their lips parted, she added, "I'm your first love, just as you are mine."   
  
He smiled. "You know me too well." But when they kissed again, his question from earlier arose from its storage area in his brain, and he stopped the kiss short. He wanted to laugh at the angry look she gave him.   
  
"What the fuck did you stop for?" She made it sound like the most dreadful and unacceptable offense anyone could commit, and he couldn't help but smile.   
  
"This might sound stupid," He started. "But I feel like this is all too familiar for some reason... that the time in the GR wasn't the first time we kissed."  
  
Her face changed from confusion, to realization, to panic, then to sheepishness when she figured out what he meant by that, and now that they'd already established the fact that they loved each other, it wouldn't hurt to explain the little secret she'd been hiding extremely well.   
  
She put her hand behind her head and laughed uneasily. "Well, there's a reason for that." Trunks cocked an eyebrow in interest. He knew that look only a Son was capable of, and he couldn't wait for the explanation she gave him. "You remember when you took me to that bar for my birthday present, right?"   
  
Trunks laughed. "Who could forget? I had a bitch of a hang over the next morning."  
  
Pan looked down. "Uh... yeah... well, when I dragged you home... and we were standing on the steps of your house... I kind of... well..." She shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of all nervousness. After all, this was only Trunks, and she had nothing to lose now if she told him the truth. "To put it in simple terms, I confessed my feelings for you, then kissed you, and in return you passed out and landed on top of me."  
  
Trunks' eyes widened slightly as he processed it all. It all made sense now... the sense of familiarity... the words, "I love you", he'd thought he heard her say weeks before. But now the question was, what made her do something like that, and all she could say when he asked her was, "Temporary insanity." He just shook his head and kissed her.   
  
~*~   
  
"Vegeta's son and my granddaughter," Goku said with a look of intense awe as he sat with his wife and son, watching the warm act of affection on Earth, as if it was an important news cast that their lives depended on. "Who would've thought..."  
  
"Certainly not me," The Prince of Saiyans just had to get his two cents in, determined to piss off anyone and everyone that ever crossed his path. It was undeniably his favorite pastime. "I, for one, think my brat can do better."  
  
Chichi glared at him while Goku and Gohan just shook their heads. They both knew better, especially Gohan, who saw the amused look in Vegeta's eyes when Pan and Pyra fought, and the way he seemed to be deeply impressed by the power she was generating. He assumed Pan was one of the strongest female Saiyans Vegeta had ever seen, and he couldn't have been more right. It was obvious that Vegeta was pleased with the potential daughter-in-law he'd inherit, even if she was a descendant of his rival.   
  
But Chichi didn't see what Gohan saw, and was determined to prove Vegeta wrong as she stormed over to him, and Gohan gulped when he saw the silvery object she brandished behind her. Another chaotic event was sure to take place any moment.   
  
"Now wait just a minute, Vegeta!" Chichi screamed. "I will not let you sit here and disrespect my family like this anymore! I don't care if you are, or were, a prince, or if you were one of the most powerful beings in the universe, it doesn't give you the right to treat people like garbage!"  
  
Vegeta smirked. "Looks like you picked a feisty bitch, Kakarrot... and a loud one too."  
  
Chichi screamed in exasperation, slamming her stainless steel frying pan down on the mountain of spiky black hair that rested on top of the prince's head, earning a glare so evil and intimidating that Gohan felt the need to step in. Goku was still staring at his granddaughter and her new love.   
  
"Alright, calm down, Mom. Vegeta." Gohan stepped between them and held his arms out to keep them at bay, suddenly feeling that this situation was all too familiar. "No need to start a fight over this."  
  
"Well tell that bitch to keep her frying pan away from me, and her mouth shut!" Vegeta shouted fiercely.  
  
"And tell that pompous bastard to stop insulting my family!" Chichi shot back.   
  
Gohan just sighed in frustration as they continued to argue, and Goku continued to watch the events on Earth with great concentration, as if waiting for them to look up and say something to him. His eyes widened suddenly, an action Gohan noticed, and he ran over to his father with worried eyes, leaving the quarreling adults to themselves.   
  
"What's the..." Gohan started, but trailed off when he saw what his father was looking at and grinned.   
  
Somehow, Vegeta and Chichi were brought out of their shouts and screams and walked over to the father and son duo, like some sort of unforeseen force pushed them there. When they saw what the other two did, Chichi clasped her hands together with stars in her eyes, mumbling something that sounded like, "great-grandchildren", as Vegeta just shook his head and grunted, a sound of disapproval to most, but to all who knew him, it was just the opposite.  
  
Goku looked completely horrified and embarrassed, but never once turned away from what he was watching. He turned his head to the side and his eyes widened even more as the two attempted something he didn't even think was possible for his granddaughter. "Umm..." He muttered, as he poked Gohan's pant leg. "Maybe we should turn this off now."  
  
Gohan just continued to grin in response. Finally, his little girl and his best friend were happy, at last.   
  
~*~  
  
It was very late into the night when Videl finally decided to go home, after noticing that all seemed dead in the house next door and that Trunks didn't seem to be coming back to Bulma's soon. The two women giggled at the possibilities of what might have happened between their children, and Bulma absolutely insisted on walking Videl home so that she could get a better look at just that.   
  
They crept into the house on silent feet, or as silent as they could be, and walked down the hall to Pan's room. When they heard not a sound coming from the room, Videl slowly turned the knob and pushed open the door, both of them grinning all the way. And they both wanted to scream with delight at the sight that they saw, but instead closed the door quickly and jumped up and down, whispering, "Grandchildren!", over and over again.   
  
Bulma stopped suddenly and told her younger friend with an almost horrified look, "We sound like your mother-in-law."  
  
~*~  
  
Xavier wasn't the only one who felt a need to drop in on the Son house. He wanted to check up on Pan, since she seemed to be in such a state of nostalgia the last time he saw her. He knew it was late, but he figured she'd be up anyway, sitting on the roof watching the stars, ready to dish out more depressing philosophies on Kami and life itself.   
  
But when he got there, he didn't see Pan on the roof, and the house looked to be completely dead except for one light, which was coming from Pan's room. Rather than knocking on the door and risking waking Pan's mother up, he walked around the dome-shaped house to the back yard, so that he could peek into Pan's window.   
  
He narrowed his eyes as he looked inside, and nearly feel over at the sight. Pan was asleep, but she wasn't alone apparently. A certain lavender-haired man was lying next to her, his arms wrapped around her as she rested her head on his chest, and although he couldn't tell if they were fully-clothed or not, it was pretty obvious to him what they'd been doing.   
  
But what really caught his eye was the strange-looking mark on both of their necks. It appeared to be two small dots of some sort, almost like... a bite-mark?  
  
He cocked an eyebrow and concluded, "Saiyans must be really freaky in bed."  
  
The Next Morning...  
Pan walked down the hall to the kitchen with a broad smile that seemed to be imperishable. She'd just said good-bye to Trunks, who left through the window so he wouldn't be noticed, and for once in her life, everything seemed to be going her way.   
  
Little did she know, three people were waiting for her in the kitchen with equally broad smiles, waiting to get the chance to tease her for what she'd done with Trunks last night. And when she walked into the room, their smiles seemed to get bigger, and she looked both uneasy and startled by their sudden appearance.   
  
"Hey, Mom... and Bulma... and X-kun," She said as she surveyed the room a little further. Their smiles made her nervous, especially Xavier's, for she knew that that smile always indicated some sort of trouble. "What are you guys doing here so early?" She asked as she sat down at the table.   
  
"Oh, just visiting," Bulma replied, and Xavier nodded in agreement. Pan looked a little frightened by the extra sparkle in Bulma's blue eyes. She didn't think the woman could get any happier. "I don't think Trunks came home last night, Pan. Do you know where he could've gone?"  
  
Pan looked around nervously and instinctively put her hand behind her head and laughed. "I have no idea... He sure didn't stay here last night... Nope, not all."   
  
"Hmmm, that's awkward," Bulma said sarcastically. "I know he wasn't in his room this morning when I went to wake him up either."  
  
"Umm... yeah, that is weird," Pan said, still rubbing the back of her head.   
  
"And you know what's even weirder?" It was Videl's turn to play, "Let's make Pan nervous". "The noises I heard coming from your room last night."  
  
"N-Noises?" Pan looked genuinely panicked as she moved her hair so that it covered the bite mark on her neck.   
  
"What kind of noises, Mrs. Son?" Xavier asked with mock curiosity.   
  
"Well," Videl put her hands on her hips, as if she had to think about how to describe them. "It kind of sounded like she was having sex." Pan's black eyes widened so much that Videl had to suppress a grin. "But I know my daughter would never do that. She's only 18 years old. Right, Panny-chan?"  
  
"Uh...yeah..." Pan said as she looked down, trying to conceal her blush.  
  
Xavier was too observant, however. "What's this? Is Panny-chan blushing?"   
  
Pan's blush of embarrassment became a blush of anger as she glared daggers at Xavier. "No."   
  
"I think it is," Bulma agreed, then grinned. "Is there something you're hiding from us, Panny?"  
  
"Uh... no..." Pan once again looked scared as her eyes darted around every corner of the room, as if monsters were lurking everywhere and might pounce on her at any minute. But, luckily for her, Trunks burst into the house, and ran into the kitchen where he felt all of their kis.   
  
"Thank Kami," Trunks said as he put a hand to his beating heart. He looked at his mother and said, "I didn't know where you were at when I came-I mean- when I woke up. I couldn't find you." Bulma grinned at his almost slip-up, and the taunting threesome decided to play games with Trunks now.   
  
"Well if you would've been home all night," The blue-haired woman began. "Then you could've came over here with me to have breakfast."  
  
"Been home all night?" Trunks repeated, trying to look innocent. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have long enough hair to conceal his bite mark, so he just had to hope they didn't notice, for the only way for the bond to fully work would be to have sex, and that would totally blow their cover. They wanted to keep it a secret for now. No such luck.   
  
Trunks looked to Pan for support, but she only shrugged with a terrified look on her face that he understood completely.   
  
"Yes," Bulma confirmed. "You were gone all night. Now Pan says you weren't here, which is odd, because you never leave without telling me, so your whereabouts last night are totally unknown."  
  
"And don't forget those strange noises Mrs. Son heard coming from Pan's room," Xavier chimed in, his broad grin getting even wider.   
  
"Noises?" Trunks really looked worried now.   
  
"Yes," Videl answered. "They sounded somewhat like she was having sex or something." Trunks' eyes widened and a faint blush crossed his features as he gulped in nervousness. "Last night was truly unusual."   
  
"It sure was," Bulma agreed, then looked serious. "So if you weren't at Pan's last night, where were you, Trunks?"  
  
There was a long pause in the quaint little room as Trunks began to think of a lie to save his and Pan's asses. Xavier grinned again as a small bead of perspiration ran down Trunks' face, and Bulma was beginning to wonder why they would hide this from them, when they should've known that Videl and Bulma would be more than happy for them. Apparently Videl was thinking the same thing, for she decided to use guilt to get her daughter to tell the truth.  
  
"You know, Panny," Videl said with a sigh as she took a seat at the table. "I just don't understand why you've felt the need to lie to me all these years."  
  
Now Pan looked really confused as her eyebrow rose. "When was I lying to you, Mom?"  
  
"Maybe lying is a strong word," Videl answered. "I just don't understand why you had to... keep your feelings for Trunks a secret for so long," She looked sad as she added, "...from your own mother..."  
  
"Oh, Mom," Pan said with worried eyes as she rounded the kitchen table and knelt next to her mother's chair. She draped an arm around her shoulder, and Videl put her face in her hands and pretended to cry. "I'm so sorry. I should have told you, but I always felt that my feelings would go away someday. I didn't want to fall for my best friend."   
  
Videl continued to "cry", and it even had Xavier and Trunks concerned. Bulma was the only one who saw through it, and she smirked just like her dead mate. Guilt was truly the gift of motherhood.   
  
"Please don't do that ever again," Videl told her through her fake sobs. "I want you to always trust me. No more secrets."  
  
Pan looked up at Trunks and they both sighed. The question in her eyes couldn't be ignored, and with a single nod from Trunks, she proceeded on telling her mother the news she originally wanted to hide. "Well, in that case," She took another deep breath and looked away from everyone else. As fast as she could, she said, "Trunks and I had sex last night and now we're bonded."  
  
"Well, no shit, Pan," Videl suddenly brought her head up to face her daughter's, no evidence of tears or sadness of any kind. Videl smirked at her daughter's stunned, confused face. "You could've came right out and told us that."  
  
"Yeah, I think it was pretty obvious," Bulma added.   
  
"But... what... how..." Pan stuttered, and Xavier laughed.   
  
"I don't know why I never saw it," Xavier said. "Mrs. Son, you're truly good at the guilt thing."  
  
Videl bowed in appreciation. "Why thank you."  
  
"Guilt?" Trunks asked. "So you guys were just teasing us the whole time?"  
  
"Glad you're so observant, Trunks," Bulma said sarcastically, but with a grin.  
  
Pan let out a sigh of relief. "So you're not mad at me, Mom?"  
  
"Why should I be?" Videl asked. She looked totally appalled by the assumption. "It's Trunks, and you've obviously been in love with him for far too long. I don't care that he's 14 years older, or that he was your best friend. Honestly, I couldn't imagine anyone more suited for you than him."  
  
Trunks smiled and Pan hugged her mother as Xavier rose an empty glass as a toast to the young couple. "To Trunks and Pan. May they live a long, happy life.... together."   
  
"Amen to that," Bulma said with a bright smile. At that moment, frantic calls and hugs of congratulations were issued to the part-Saiyans, and Videl looked almost teary-eyed she was so moved by her daughter's happiness. It sure was a far cry from the constant depression she was in only a day or two before, a time that had Videl genuinely worried. It was so unlike Pan to be so unanimated or unexcited. She was always so vibrant and always willing to see things with as much optimism as possible. She never once gave up, not even against the Androids when the one encounter she'd had with them arose. However, unrequited love seemed to be her one and only downfall, and the state she was in afterward had shaken not only her mother, but her friends as well. They were all just happy that she was back to her normal self again. As far as they were concerned, everything was finally right in the world.   
  
Suddenly, Bulma let out a loud gasp, stopping the pandemonium of cheers and tenderness almost instantly. She smiled and said to Videl, "We have to plan the wedding!"  
  
Videl immediately went into a Bulma-like state as they went through drawers, looking for bridal magazines of any kind, which totally surprised Trunks and Pan. Instead, the three younger people of the group retired to Pan's room, unnoticed by the two mothers, deciding that they better escape while they can.   
  
And on the way down the hall, Pan and Trunks exchanged a smile, thinking about the events that had happened the previous night. The kiss in the GR... the fight between Pyra and Pan... the new revelations that unfolded... and the... other interesting things that followed... all leading up to the moment they'd both been dreaming of. They were finally together... forever.   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Well, there you have it. They're finally together! Everyone cheer! I hope you liked the way I made it come about. I know it was pretty hectic and everything, but that was for effect. And don't worry, this sure as hell isn't the end. I have a totally new idea for an adventure I hope is original. Once again, I am happy to email people when the next chapter is out, and feel free to dish out some ideas. And also, check out my profile. I got some new ideas for fics, and I also put up the estimated time it'll take before the next chapter is posted for each fic I've written. Tell me if the new ideas for fics suck or what, please.   
  
Next Chapter: While Videl and Bulma rant and rave over wedding preparations, Trunks and Pan are just enjoying their romance like it is. However, a new invention Pan discovers in Bulma's lab sends them to a place they never thought they'd see. 


	10. Chapter 10

So sorry for taking so long, my dear readers. I've been slacking, yes I know. Laziness and entertaining people, along with people entertaining me don't combine very well, as you can see. I'll try to be more punctual on updating, but it's hard with a person like me. But don't worry, I'll never give up on this story, so always expect me to continue. And due to my rush to update, ignore any typos.   
  
Special Thanks to Reviews From:   
Matt  
Loaf of Pan  
chello  
Anime Ambreen and Poke Manic  
StarLite Wind  
pan86  
Brandon B  
ills  
  
Disclaimer: You know the expression, "The best things in life are free"? Well, that must be true, because I write this story for free. But then again, that has to be false, because DBZ isn't free. If it was, I would've bought it by now.   
  
Oh, and this: ~...~ indicates Trunks and Pan's telepathic conversations through their bond.  
  
  
Chapter 10  
  
The next two months flew by in a flash. Pan and Trunks were both in a daze. They spent almost every waking moment with each other, even more than they spent when they were just friends. They trained together, went to the movies together, ate together... and... other things, and when they weren't together they had fun using their newfound telepathic bond they were granted. It worked well when they were in large groups or around their mothers too. They were like two kids passing notes in class.   
  
Sometimes Pan even dragged Xavier along whenever she and Trunks went out. She always said she felt guilty leaving one behind (only sometimes, that is), and she always said that both of them were important to her, so why not take both along? And she also wanted them to get along together, since it was obvious that there might be some hostility between the two. There was Trunks' behavior to Pan during the time he was dating Pyra which made Xavier hate him, and there was the implications of Xavier finding Trunks attractive that made Trunks a little uneasy. But they both seemed to be at ease with each other, but that was only how it looked. Pan knew them both well enough to finish their thoughts before they could.   
  
"So why don't you like Xavier?" She asked Trunks bluntly one day. They were sitting around in his room one night doing basically nothing, but enjoying each other's company.   
  
"What do you mean?" He looked blank at first, but remembered that she knew him too well to be fooled that easily. He sighed. "I don't really know, Pan. Something about him just... just doesn't seem right."  
  
Pan looked puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Well it's just that I feel a little awkward around him.... I don't know..."  
  
Pan raised an eyebrow and then laughed. She knew what he meant by it. Ever since the revelation that Xavier was gay, Trunks hadn't actually been very friendly towards him and it amused Pan that he was so threatened by it.   
  
"I can't believe you're so narrow-minded," She said once she got over her amusement.   
  
"Narrow-minded?" He looked as confused as she had before.   
  
"Yes, narrow-minded. I can't believe Xavier's sexuality is what makes you uncomfortable."  
  
"His sexuality? That's not it at all," But when she narrowed her eyes at him and gave him that, "Stop with the bullshit" look, he said, "Ok, it is. But can you blame me? You said the guy might ass rape me before...."  
  
Pan laughed even harder at what she'd said months ago. "I said that during a moment of anger, Trunks. Didn't you think I was just joking? Why would he want to do that to you?"  
  
"It's a possibility," Trunks looked a little insulted as he said it, then a look of arrogance overcame his features. "After all, I am Trunks Briefs, the man who saved us all from the Androids."  
  
"Yeah, and it only took you about 20 years."  
  
"It was more like.... 14.... but that's not my point...."  
  
"Your point is that you think you're the shit and that every woman and man should want you so it shouldn't be that unfathomable for Xavier to want to ass rape you? Right?"  
  
"...Uh... yeah," Sometimes it unnerved him when she finished his thoughts. This was one of those times. "I mean, after all, you're a part of the spell too."  
  
"That may be," She grinned at him. "But I sure as hell don't want to ass rape you. I'm not equipped for that, so you'll have to ask Xavier the next time you see him."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, but before he could retaliate she silenced him with a kiss, and of course all was forgotten. Kissing was beginning to become her way of controlling him, instead of the old way: whining and pouting.   
  
Xavier couldn't be won over with a kiss, however. Convincing him to like Trunks was a little harder.   
  
"I don't understand why you don't like Trunks," Pan said to him one afternoon when they were at a coffeehouse, the same one they shared their "reunion" in.   
  
"Well, it's not that I don't like him," He said. "It's just there's something about him that I find sort of weird."  
  
"What's that?" She asked with slightly worried eyes. It didn't make sense to her that two of the most important people in her lives seemed to find fault with each other. She thought if she found everything perfect in them, then they should feel the same way about each other. As far as she was concerned, she was always right in this kind of situation.   
  
"Well," He hesitated, and then decided to tell her. They hadn't had any secrets from each other since their days at summer camp. "It's the age difference. It seems sort of weird to me that you're so in love with someone who's 14 years older than you are." Pan looked stunned by his confession. She hadn't really paid it much mind once she and Trunks were bonded. She figured that if it was meant to be, then it was meant to be. End of discussion. It didn't matter if he was 14 years older or if he was her father's best friend or that he watched her grow up. It was what was meant to be, something that didn't need further explanation or observation. Simple as that. But upon noticing her reaction, Xavier immediately said something to soften the blow. "But don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy and all, once you get passed all that crap you guys went through in the last few months. It's just not an everyday occurrence to see an 18 year old with a 32 year old, even though it's obvious he hardly looks his age or acts his age...." He touched her hand and added, "But my opinion doesn't matter. Who am I to say what looks right and what doesn't? It's your life, not mine."  
  
"Your opinion does matter," She told him. "You're my best friend and you're important to me." To her, his opinion on whatever decision she made was mandatory, as it was with Trunks. They were both her friends, the only two people that knew her best.   
  
"That may be true," He replied. "But that doesn't mean you have to listen to me or take my advice when I give it."  
  
"I understand," She said, then added, "Why would I take your suggestions seriously anyway? I mean, you're the one that told me when we were in camp that one tree on fire couldn't burn down the whole forest."  
  
"You wanted to get kicked out of camp, didn't you? I think I did you a favor."  
  
"My stupidity got us kicked out of camp." They both laughed and then she said in a more serious tone. "Just remember that you and Trunks are the most important people in my life, so try to get along for me, ok?"   
  
"Yes, ma'am," He saluted her and the topic was dropped. And even though his concerns of the 14 year age difference between Trunks and Pan was still hanging in Pan's head for awhile, she eventually dismissed it. Like he said, it was her life and her choice.   
  
Bulma's House....  
"What do you think about this one, Bulma?" Videl asked her blue-haired friend as she showed her a picture of a wedding dress in one of the many bridal magazines that were sprawled all over the table. Bulma was sitting at the computer in her lab, typing and still managing to help Videl plan Trunks and Pan's wedding, the wedding that they hadn't said they wanted quite yet. They were still enjoying the fact that they were together too much to even think about marriage. But of course, Videl and Bulma were too stubborn to hear anything other than themselves.   
  
Bulma tilted her head slightly so that she could see the dress Videl was pointing at while still typing rapidly on the computer. She had decided to fire the new assistant she had, after the whole Pyra incident, and now it seemed like she had double the work to do. She nodded at Videl's suggestion and smiled. "Looks good to me." She slid in her chair to the table and grabbed another magazine. She opened it and pointed to something. "But what about this for the bridesmaids dresses..."  
  
~ Bridesmaid dresses? How am I going to have bridesmaids? ~ Pan complained to Trunks through their bond. Since their mothers demanded that they be there during the planning of their wedding (as though they would actually let them choose anything that they actually wanted), they were down in the lab as well, having a conversation mentally so as to keep their privacy. Trunks got bored and started to do some push ups, and Pan was sitting Indian-style on his back.   
  
~ Don't worry about it, Panny.~ Trunks told her in regards to her complaint about the plans for a wedding she was not ready to have. ~ Just ignore it. We've already established the fact that we don't want to get married just yet. It's not like they can force us to do anything we don't want to do. We're both adults. We can make our own decisions. ~  
  
~ Trunks, look who our mothers are. They're the most stubborn, powerful women on the planet. They will not take no for an answer. ~  
  
~ Yeah, you're probably right.... but still.... We'll just have to hide every frying pan in the world when we tell them. ~  
  
Pan laughed and Videl and Bulma looked at her strangely for a moment and then continued their plans. ~ The thing about all this that gets me is why my mom's so interested in it. She never struck me as the type to want to plan a big, lavish, overly expensive wedding. ~  
  
~ That's true. She didn't even want her own wedding to be so glamorous. I remember the big fuss she made about having a small wedding here. It was peaceful, with my mom as her maid of honor and me as Gohan's best man. They both wanted it that way. But my mom was a little heartbroken over not being able to give Gohan a huge wedding. You know how that is. ~  
  
Pan nodded as Trunks continued his pushups. She realized again just how much older he was, but she shrugged it off and explored Bulma's lab with her eyes. She always wondered why Bulma did all of her Capsule Corp. work here instead of at the actual headquarters of the company, but then again it was also a little baffling to realize she also invented things here and had time to raise her only child into a fine man. Bulma was truly a miracle worker.   
  
Pan remembered how much fun this room was when she was kid, and now at 18 years old it still held a sort of magic to her. She'd spend hours wandering around the room and looking at inventions, imagining what they did and how they did it or what kinds of pieces make it work and how long it took Bulma to think of them. She'd seen inventions come and go and some that never made it passed the drawing board and others that turned out perfectly and seemed to totally reverse the laws of science in every way possible. It seemed like a fairytale land, a world of innumerable possibilities where the sky was the limit of creation. She looked with awe at all of the objects, some huge, some small, some shiny, some dull, all spawned from the genius mind of Bulma Briefs. And once she came around to something she'd never seen before, she let her eyes rest a little longer on it.   
  
It was sitting on Bulma's desk, right next to her computer. It was a shiny, football-shaped, metal object with a screen on it and a few buttons underneath. It was simple, but for some reason Pan felt the need to explore it further. She didn't know why, but suddenly she felt a need to see just what that thing did and experience all its wonders.   
  
Her thoughts were cut short, however, when Bulma's voice said, "I think that's enough for today. Who's hungry?"  
  
That was the only word Trunks agreed with all day. He shot up and flew to the stairs so quickly that Pan flew off his back and landed on the hard floor on her butt.   
  
"Sorry, Panny," He said quickly as he continued up the stairs and to the kitchen, with Bulma and Videl laughing behind him.   
  
Pan was less than amused as she got up and rubbed her sore ass, but then she realized she was all alone in Bulma's lab. Grinning almost sadistically, she quickly ran over to the computer desk and picked up the object that held so much of her attention. It gave her an instant flashback of her as a kid, waiting until she was alone to play with something and end up breaking it. But she was extra careful with this object, and she didn't know why, but she felt a serious need to, like it held something that was vital to her existence or happiness. She let her fingers run over the curves of its football shape and then over the screen. It looked as if no one had ever touched it, for the buttons felt new and the screen was very clear. It was then that she noticed the buttons had numbers on them. There was also three buttons at the bottom that said, "Month", "Day", and "Year". She was a little perplexed, but she didn't have time to ponder it more, for Trunks came down the stairs and startled her a little bit. She'd been so deep in thought that she hadn't sensed him.   
  
"Aren't you coming up?" He asked as he approached her. She quickly set the object down and turned to face him, but he noticed the quick action and asked, "What are you doing?"  
  
Knowing it was impossible to lie to him, she answered, "I was wondering what this was." She handed it to him and he looked just as confused as she was.  
  
And then, like a light bulb hit her, she snatched it away from him. "I want to find out what it does."  
  
"No, don't do that," Trunks told her as he grabbed it back from her. "You don't know what this thing is capable of or if it's even safe. Just leave it alone."  
  
He tried to put it back on the desk but Pan snatched it back from him. "Why would Bulma make something dangerous? C'mon, let me just see what it does."  
  
Trunks grabbed it back. "No. You can ask my mom what it does once we go back upstairs."  
  
That was it. Pan was a little impatient and intolerant of being told what to do when it came to things like that. It was just like when they were younger and she would fight with him about staying up late or the answer to a question on her homework. She hated to be told no, especially by Trunks. So she grabbed the invention back, starting a little game of tug-o-war. They pulled and pushed at each other in order to get a hold of it, and ended up pressing a few buttons in the process.   
  
"Pan, leave it alone!" Trunks shouted as he tried to pull the object away from her. "Stop being so childish!"  
  
"You're the one who's being childish!" Pan shouted back. She was so aggressive and determined to have custody of the new invention that she almost had her elbow in Trunks' mouth. "You won't even let me see it!"  
  
They were so engrossed in their battle that they hadn't noticed what buttons they were pushing or that their mothers were laughing at them from the top of the stairs. But their laughter stopped when a blinding green light escaped from the football-like object and engulfed the feuding lovers, making them vanish into thin air.   
  
After a few seconds, Videl turned to Bulma and said, "What the hell just happened?"  
  
Bulma blinked a few times at the spot where Trunks and Pan just were. "...Beats the hell out of me..."  
  
Uh... Somewhere....  
Pan and Trunks reappeared in the same position, still fighting over the object. Pan yanked it away from him so hard, that she slipped and fell backwards, causing the football-like object to fly out of her hands and onto the cement sidewalk. Upon contact with the hard surface, the invention exploded into several small pieces.   
  
Trunks was furious. "Look what you did now Pan! Mom's going to kill you!"  
  
"It's not my fault!" Pan shouted back from her seat on the ground. "You should've just let me have it and it would've been the end of it!"  
  
"You are so childish, Pan!" Trunks shouted back as he leaned down to pick up the pieces of metal and wires on the concrete. Wait a minute... concrete? He blinked a few times and it was then that both he and Pan noticed exactly where they were. They were in the middle of a city of some sort, right in front of a store. There were crowds of people gathering around them wondering where they came from and others too scared to get that close to the people that magically appeared out of the sky.   
  
"Where the hell are we?" Trunks asked as he helped Pan up and stuck the pieces of the invention in the pocket of his jacket.   
  
"I don't know..." She said as she surveyed her surroundings. "How did we get here?"  
  
"It probably has something to do with this football thing," Trunks told her. He grabbed her hand and moved out of the crowd. He looked at some of the billboards and other things on the walls of stores and noticed something different about them. And without a word, he took off into the sky with Pan following behind him.   
  
"Where are we going?" She asked him through the sound of the wind whipping her face.   
  
"I'm not sure," He told her honestly. "But I have a feeling I know what happened to us."  
  
~*~  
  
"Bulma, what the hell happened to my little girl?" Videl shouted at her friend that was typing furiously on the computer. She went hysterical once the shock of her daughter's disappearance wore off, and she demanded that Bulma find out the cause of it.   
  
"I'm trying to figure it out!" Bulma shouted back. "I want to find her just as much as you do. After all, it wasn't just your daughter that disappeared, it was my son too!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Bulma," Videl seemed a little calmer as she grabbed a chair and sat next to her. "I'm just worried. They just... vanished."  
  
"I know," Bulma said sympathetically. "But I've got the blueprints to that invention right here on the computer and if I remember them correctly Pan and Trunks should be fine."  
  
"What do you mean 'if I remember them correctly'?" Videl asked, her tone a little harsh and an eyebrow raised.   
  
"Well, I haven't worked on this thing in years, and I haven't had a chance to test it," Bulma told her. "I'm hoping that looking at the blueprints will give me a little reassurance that they're ok."  
  
"So you're telling me you don't know what this thing is capable of?" Videl asked, looking worried again.   
  
"Well... yeah I guess," Bulma told her honestly and Videl was seething.   
  
"What the hell is that thing supposed to do anyway?"   
  
"It was supposed to be an alternative to the time machine. I invented it in case we ever needed to go back in time again, but when it seemed that Trunks had everything under control and no other threat to the world has been made, I stopped working on it and looked toward other things. It was only a few days ago that I found it again and vowed to finish it, but I haven't had a chance."   
  
"So basically they could be Kami knows where in the past or the future?"  
  
"Yeah. But I put a tracking device on it, so if it works correctly we can find out where they are as long as the device hasn't been damaged."  
  
"And then we can use the other time machine to go get them!" Videl exclaimed happily.  
  
"Exactly," Bulma grinned victoriously and continued to type commands into her computer.   
  
"You know, I was beginning to wonder if all that crap about you being a genius was a load of shit," Videl told her. "But now, I see it wasn't."  
  
"Thanks," Bulma said, but then it dawned on her and she looked at Videl with a puzzled look. "Wait a minute... what do you mean by that?"  
  
~*~  
  
Trunks and Pan flew for what seemed like hours in the same direction. Trunks was just sure he knew what happened by the looks of the place, that they had somehow gone back in time, but he wasn't sure exactly what year they landed in. He was also confused as to why that little item did it, but he didn't want to think about that now. All he wanted to do at the moment was figure out if Capsule Corp. existed in this place.   
  
"Where are we going, Trunks?" Pan asked him again. She was beginning to get a little nervous by the feeling she was getting from Trunks through their bond. She could tell his mind was working a mile a minute and she was anxious to know what was going on.   
  
"I want to see if there's a Capsule Corp. somewhere around here," He told her. "I think we went back in time."  
  
"Back in time?!" She shrieked. "...How?"  
  
"If I knew, I'd tell you," He told her honestly. "Right now I'm trying to find out if Capsule Corp. exists here. If so, I can ask my mom from this time if she can fix this thing somehow and hopefully we'll be home again soon."  
  
Pan just nodded and continued to fly with him. But when he stopped suddenly a second later, she looked a little startled. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I feel..." He squinted his eyes in concentration. "I feel something... strangely familiar... that ki.... where did I feel it before?.... and the other one that's with it?..."  
  
Pan expanded her senses and felt something a little familiar too. "I feel something familiar too, but only one of them is familiar."  
  
They both flew down to the direction of the kis that they were feeling, which landed them in the heart of some sort of forest area. They settled themselves behind some bushes when they heard the voices of the two individuals.   
  
"Concentrate harder! I know you can do this!" A male voice commanded.   
  
"I'm trying! It might not be hard to you, but it's hard to me!" A female voice returned.   
  
"Ok, just relax and try to concentrate. Make your mind very clear. The only way you can do this is if you master ki."   
  
"Are you sure that's the only way I can fly? This ki stuff sounds like a load of bullshit to me."  
  
"What the hell..." Trunks looked at Pan with a confused look. "That sounds like... no it can't be... Can it?"  
  
"What do you mean 'the energy I can feel in my body'?!" The female voice shrieked. "You have no right to be talking about my body, Gohan!"  
  
"That sounds like my mom..." Pan murmured.   
  
"I think it is," Trunks whispered. "It's got to be."  
  
They both looked up from the bush slowly and sure enough, they saw two teenage versions of Pan's parents arguing. Pan's mouth dropped open. "That is my mom! She's like... my age!" Her face fell a little then and she cocked her head to one side as she stared at the tall, black-haired boy with whom her mother was yelling at. "Is that.... my...."  
  
"Yep," Trunks whispered back. "It's your dad, Pan."  
  
"Holy shit this is weird...."  
  
~*~  
  
Gohan backed up as Videl advanced on him, yelling and screeching about Gohan's nonexistent obsession with her body and his "constant" perverted thoughts. He failed to realize, however, that he was backing up into a bush, and he found out too late when he fell into it. He expected to land on something that felt a little more like thorny branches rather than something as hard as a rock.  
  
"Ow..." He complained as he got up, and his eyes went wide when he realized he landed on someone's head. "I'm so sorry.... Trunks?"  
  
Trunks sat up and rubbed his head. "Yeah, that's me," He told Gohan with a grin. "Damn, is your ass made of bricks?"  
  
Gohan grinned. "I guess so." It was then that someone else arose from the ground and sat up next to Trunks. Gohan cocked his head to the side and looked at her for awhile, thinking he'd seen her somewhere before.   
  
Trunks noticed his puzzled look and stood up with Pan. "Gohan, this is Pan. Pan, this is Gohan."  
  
They both stood there for a long time, each of them never blinking. Pan was shocked to be so close to the father she'd never known that she was speechless, and Gohan kept thinking he knew her somewhere before. She looked so familiar to him for some strange reason.   
  
Videl was growing impatient. "I thought I was supposed to get a flying lesson, today." She narrowed her eyes at the new comers and pointed at Trunks. "You look like Trunks."  
  
He grinned. "That's because I am."  
  
Videl cocked an eyebrow and looked from him to Gohan about a million times. "Explanation, please?" She asked Gohan, although it was more of a command than a question.   
  
"Well..." Gohan hesitated. He didn't want to tell her so much of his past or any of the other inhuman things that came along with it. It was bad enough that she knew he was a superhero named the Great Saiyaman and knew how to fly. How was he supposed to explain this one?   
  
But Trunks filled in for him. "Well, my girlfriend," He motioned towards Pan, "and I come from the future. I'm the future version of Trunks.... judging from how old Gohan looks, he's probably about 8 years old now, right?"   
  
Gohan nodded. "Why are you guys here now? Is there something we should be watching out for again?" He asked with worried eyes.   
  
"No, not at all," Trunks reassured him. "It was an accident that we ended up here." He gave Pan a dirty look and she rolled her eyes.   
  
"The future?" Videl asked in total bemusement. "That's impossible! Time travel does not exist."  
  
"You also thought it was impossible for humans to fly, am I correct?" Pan asked. She loved to prove people wrong, especially her mother... although she wasn't exactly her mother really... but you get the point.   
  
"....True," Videl said. "But who asked you anyway?"   
  
"Some things you don't ask for. Some things just happen that way." Pan smirked and Videl growled.   
  
Luckily for them they didn't get a chance to start something up, for two kids appeared almost instantly by their sides. One was of course the miniature version of Trunks, the head of lavender hair and the blue eyes that were quick to show just how mischievous he could be. But the second child was someone Trunks (the future Trunks, that is) hadn't seen before, and again he felt that sensation of deja vu as he looked at the short kid with black, spiky hair and a friendly, childish smile.   
  
The child blinked a few times and looked from Trunks, his best friend, and the older man that looked exactly like him. He tugged on Gohan's pants, signaling him to lower his ear. He complied, and the boy whispered in his ear, "Why are there two Trunks, big brother?"  
  
"Big brother?" Trunks asked. - How can Gohan have a little brother if Goku died after the Cell Games...-  
  
~ Well, Trunks, it's called sex. See, they must've had sex before... Goku went to the... Cell Games. You think? ~  
  
~ You always have to be a smart ass, don't you? ~  
  
~ Of course. It's part of my charm. ~  
  
"Yeah, this is my little brother, Goten," Gohan replied as he pushed the frightened child in front of him for Trunks to meet.   
  
"He looks just like Goku!" Trunks exclaimed.   
  
Meanwhile, Little Trunks was looking him over with suspicion. "So you're supposed to be me from the future, am I right?"  
  
Trunks nodded. "Yeah, that would be me."  
  
"Oh, you were so cute when you were little, Trunks!" Pan said while running a hand through Little Trunks' hair. "What happened?"  
  
Everyone laughed but Videl and Trunks snorted. "You didn't seem to have a problem with my looks last night when we were-"  
  
"Shut up!" Pan quickly put a hand over his mouth before he could say something to embarrass her, and it was obvious that Trunks was laughing.   
  
Gohan's poor naive mind hadn't grasped that, so he just cocked his head to the side and stared at Pan for awhile. This feeling of deja vu was really bothering him. He couldn't figure out where he had seen her before, and he swore it was going to drive him crazy if he didn't figure it out.   
  
"Do you have a problem?" Pan asked, trying to be as polite as she could, but it apparently didn't work by the annoyed tone of her voice. She hated it when people looked at her for too long. Father or no father, that was just a sin.   
  
"Oh, no... I'm sorry," Gohan stammered as he blushed. He titled his head and raised his hand to the back of his head, nervous laughter escaping his lips. "It's just that you look so familiar to me."   
  
Pan looked a little nervous as well, for she suspected that feeling was due to her slight resemblance to him and Videl. She repeated his gesture. "Really.... that's... uh... weird.."  
  
They both stood there laughing and rubbing their heads, and it obvious even to Goten that they looked a little alike. But he and Little Trunks just shrugged it off and the older Trunks looked down, nervous as hell. He knew it would be dangerous if they found out who Pan really was, and the father-daughter laughter that was taking place wasn't helping any.   
  
Videl noticed this too and looked very much confused. "What the hell is going on...?"  
  
~*~  
  
"I don't understand it..." Bulma said with a look of despair. It had been about 2 hours since Trunks and Pan's disappearance, and she had been working nonstop to try to find a way to bring them back. She checked the blueprints a million times, and everything seemed to be in perfect order. Nothing in the invention she had manufactured would cause them any harm, but the tracking device she'd installed didn't seem to be working. It made no sense to her, and she was near tears along with Videl, who never left her side at the computer.   
  
"You mean you can't trace them?" Videl was nervous and jittery and worried about her only child.   
  
"No, I'm afraid I can't," She said. She sighed loudly. "I don't know what to do either. I'll have to think and look at all the information on my computer again to see if there's an alternative." She pulled up more files with a click of her mouse. "I just don't understand. The blueprints were in perfect order, so the tracking device should've worked perfectly.... unless..."  
  
"Unless what?" Videl said, looking desperate again.   
  
"Shit!" Bulma said. "They were probably still fighting when they got transported to wherever they are and destroyed it somehow."  
  
"Shit," Videl repeated. "So what are we going to do?"  
  
"I don't know," Bulma said honestly. "But I'll find a way. Trust me."   
  
~*~  
  
Trunks and Pan decided to go check out Gohan's house instead of going straight to Bulma's. Well, actually Pan decided for them. She wanted to see how her father lived, even though she knew it had to be a lot better than the Gohan of her timeline had lived. Still, she was excited beyond words. She finally got to meet the father she never knew.   
  
They walked into the cheery, dome-shaped house and were immediately greeted by the sweet smell of various foods cooking. All of the Saiyans' mouths started to instantly water.   
  
"Did you bring home a small village, Gohan?" A black-haired woman asked. She came in wearing a bright smile and there was a motherly look about her that made you instantly feel comfortable. Pan couldn't help but smile at her.   
  
"Yeah, I guess so, Mom," Gohan grinned that Son grin that was so characteristic of any descendant of Goku Son. There was about 7 of them there for dinner, counting his mother, as opposed to their usual 3 or sometimes 4, depending on when Little Trunks was over or not.   
  
- Mom, huh?- Pan thought, then grinned. - So that's where my middle name comes from.-  
  
Chichi looked at Trunks and became worried. "Oh Dende. Please don't tell me there's another threat to the world..."  
  
"Oh no, that's not it," Trunks was quick to reassure her. "My girlfriend and I just got transported here by accident. I hope you don't mind feeding us."  
  
"No, not a problem," Chichi said, then started examining Pan with her eyes. "How old are you?" She asked bluntly.   
  
Pan looked a little startled by the question. "Uh... 18..."  
  
"Eighteen?!" She almost shrieked it. She looked at Trunks with a weird, disapproving look. "Trunks, how old are you?"  
  
"Uh... 32..." He said, looking just as confused as Pan was.   
  
"Wow, Trunks," Goten said to his best friend, the smaller version of Trunks. "You're old!"  
  
"I'm not old, stupid," Little Trunks told him. "Future Me is."   
  
"He's 32 and she's 18!" Videl said, almost to herself. "That's pretty sick."   
  
Trunks and Pan both blushed and Chichi put her face right in front of Pan's. "You look really familiar."  
  
Pan laughed nervously. "Uh... really?"  
  
"That's what I thought," Gohan chimed in.  
  
"Uh, you know, we've had a rough day," Trunks tried to change the subject. "Why don't we eat?"  
  
"Yeah!" Goten helped, thank Kami. "Let's eat!"  
  
All of the Saiyans ran to the table, leaving Videl and Chichi wondering just what the hell this girl from the future was doing here.   
  
~*~  
  
Poor Goten. He was horrified by what he was seeing. Pan was shoveling just about as much food into her mouth as he and Gohan were. And he thought he could eat more than anybody in the world. How dare this girl stage him up?  
  
"Holy crap," A very appalled Videl said in regards to Pan's eating habits. "Can she breathe?" Even Gohan had to stop eating and gawk at her. In fact, everyone was looking at her, except Trunks, that is. They all assumed she was human, and humans never had appetites like that.   
  
Pan must've felt their eyes on her, for she stopped suddenly and raised her eyes to look at them, with her fork inches from her face. She smiled awkwardly and asked, "Is something wrong?"  
  
"You eat so much..." Videl said. Just like her daughter. Quick, blunt, and straight-to-the-point.   
  
"Oh... yeah..." Pan smiled sheepishly and blushed.   
  
"You eat as much as a Saiyan..." Chichi said, her eyes wide. "I've never met a woman who ever matched up to these boys."  
  
"Saiyan?" Videl looked confused. "What's that?"  
  
"Uh... nothing," Gohan started waving his arms frantically in typical, Anime fashion. "Nothing at all... don't uh... worry about it..."  
  
Videl raised an eyebrow but decided she'd figure that out for herself later. After all, she had lots more flying lessons to get through. And at the rate she was going, there was going to be plenty of time to find out what a Saiyan was.   
  
"Well..." Pan tried to reply to Chichi's comment on her appetite when Goten's voice rang in the room.   
  
"Maybe she's gonna have a baby," He said, all innocence and smiles. "Mom said women eat a lot before they have babies."  
  
That made Trunks look up, and he looked horrified as he stared at Goten. And then he blushed beet red, as was Pan. Being pregnant never even occurred to her, neither to Trunks, and they both looked genuinely frightened at the prospect.   
  
"Uh, I don't think that's it, Goten," Gohan told his little brother. He could tell by the looks on their faces that they didn't look too thrilled at the possibility. "She probably just has a healthy appetite." Pan nodded and continued eating, although considerably slower this time.   
  
"That reminds me, Gohan," Chichi started. "When are you ever going to give me grandchildren? I can't live forever, you know."  
  
"Mom," He whined. "I'm only 18 years old. I haven't even found a girl I like yet," It was almost impossible not to see him move his eyes to Videl slightly, but Pan caught it and couldn't help but smile. "Give me a break."  
  
"Pan's 'only 18' and she's found a guy she likes," Chichi said. "And I bet she feels like she wants to spend the rest of her life with Trunks. Don't you?" She looked directly at Pan and Pan couldn't help but smile wide and nod, while catching a glimpse at Trunks who was also smiling. "See? You're going to school now, so there's no reason for you not to find someone."  
  
"Sure Mom. Whatever you say."  
  
"And what do you mean you don't have a girl you like yet? What about Videl? She'd make a good wife for you."  
  
Gohan blushed bright pink and Videl looked almost appalled, but it obvious to Pan that the possibility didn't seem too unattractive. There was something in her eyes that made Pan know otherwise. It was probably the fact that she was so close to her mother and knew when she was telling the truth or when she was hiding something or whatever else. Although she had to admit, this Videl was far different than the Videl of her time. She seemed a lot more hostile and temperamental. But that could've been due to the difference in age too.   
  
"Videl and I are just friends, Mom," Gohan explained. Sometimes he wondered if his mother had more than one thing on her mind.   
  
"Pan and I were too for a long time," Trunks said, grinning from ear to ear. He liked the game of "Embarrass Gohan", and he was doing a pretty good job of it. "And look what happened to us." Gohan blushed bright red this time and tried to hide it by putting his head down.   
  
~ Leave my dad alone Trunks. ~ Pan told him through their bond. ~ Stop torturing him. ~  
  
~ You don't know what kind of torture he put me through when I was a kid, not to mention the last couple months. ~  
  
~ The last couple months...? ~ She had to look at him this time.  
  
~ Uh... never mind...~ He'd forgotten about Gohan's invisibility when he had come back from the dead. It seemed almost a million years ago. It was far cry from the happiness he now felt constantly.   
  
~ Whatever, Trunks. ~ Pan told him, and left it at that. There were some things, she realized, that she could never figure out about him.   
  
~*~  
  
After dinner, Little Trunks and Goten immediately disappeared outside while Trunks and Pan talked with Gohan about their plans. They told him they were planning to go to Bulma's as soon as possible, to see if she could possibly repair the broken object that sent them there. They wanted to get home as soon as possible, for they knew their mothers were probably worried sick about them. But Chichi came into the living room from the kitchen and interrupted them by saying, "You two are staying here tonight. I don't want to hear another word about it. I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow to see Bulma."  
  
"Well, that's very generous," Trunks told her. "But it's ok. Besides, we really need to be getting home."  
  
~ Oh, c'mon, Trunks. ~ He heard Pan's pleading voice in his head. ~ I want to spend as much time here as I can. I've never even seen my dad before. This is my only chance. ~  
  
~ I know, Panny, but we shouldn't be here. This is not our world. It's a different time. ~  
  
~ But you can come here when you need to stop the Androids or kill that other thing you had to fight here. What's wrong with staying here? Who knows how long it's going to take Bulma to fix this thing. We could be here for years. ~  
  
Trunks sighed. There was no winning when you were arguing with Pan. "On second thought," He told Chichi. "Maybe we will take you up on that offer."  
  
"Good choice, Trunks," She whispered. She looked over then at Gohan and Videl who were heading out the door. Hoping to see something interesting, she ran over to the window and looked out. Gohan and Videl were standing in the yard, talking about something, and she gently pulled the window open a crack to hear what was going on.  
  
~*~  
  
"So I guess my next lesson is next weekend," Videl asked as she fished around in her pocket for the capsule that contained her jet copter.   
  
"Yeah, if that works for you," Gohan said. He couldn't help but stare at the raven hair of the girl he liked so much, and she noticed this, much to his chagrin.   
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, looking irritated. Pan realized whom she got that pet peeve from.   
  
"Oh... uh... no real reason," Gohan replied, blushing slightly. "I just thought that you might want to cut your hair. It seems a little long to me."  
  
Videl smiled and twirled one pigtail around her finger. "Do you like girls with short hair, Gohan?"   
  
His eyes widened, and he immediately started to thrash his arms around in order to signal that he didn't. "No, no, not at all! I just thought that it might get in your way when you fight, that's all."   
  
Videl frowned and threw the capsule that contained her jet copter on the ground. "You are such a jerk, Gohan!" She screamed, before climbing into her copter and flying away, leaving Gohan to stare blankly at it and wonder what he did wrong. It seemed like whatever he said, he managed to get on Videl's nerves. And the worse part of it all was that he cared. He didn't like to make her mad. He only wanted to see her happy. And knowing why he felt that way, he almost cringed as he walked somberly back into the house.   
  
Pan immediately settled herself on the couch so that he wouldn't know that she was spying on him. He looked at her once and tried to smile, but she saw how distressed he was and she felt sorry for him. She knew firsthand what he was feeling, and wanted to help him feel better.   
  
"Hey, Gohan," She called out to him. He stopped walking towards his room and looked at her. It was then that he noticed they were alone in the living room, and he wondered what Pan was going to say to him.   
  
"Yeah?" He asked.   
  
"I saw what happened outside," She started. "And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it upset you. Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
He hesitated a minute, but surprised himself by nodding and walking over to the couch to sit next to her. He didn't know this person, but he felt strangely comfortable with her. "I don't understand why I let Videl get to me, but I do. People call me names and get mad with me all the time, just like Videl does, and it doesn't bother me. But when Videl does it, it seems like the whole world is going to end. I don't understand it...."   
  
Pan smirked. "It sounds to me like you have a little crush on Videl."  
  
"What?" Gohan almost shrieked it with horror, and instantly blushed. "No, that's not it! That's not it at all!"   
  
"Yes, it is," Pan said, loving his look of embarrassment. "You have a crush on her!"  
  
Gohan was about to deny it again, but he noticed that Pan wasn't buying it and sighed. "Ok, I guess you're right. I do have a crush on her. But I don't know how to handle it. I don't know how to get over it."  
  
Pan nodded sympathetically, and then her head shot up when she suddenly got an idea. "What if I told you I could help you out? Would you be interested?"  
  
Gohan raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Keep talking..."  
  
Pan grinned. "Ok, here's what we can do...."  
  
~*~  
  
After her little talk with Gohan, Pan was feeling both victorious and a little tired. She decided to go to sleep, and she found Trunks already nearing dreamland in the room Chichi designated for them.   
  
"Hey, Panny," He said sleepily. "Where have you been?"   
  
"Oh, just talking to my dad," She told him, and grinned. She loved the sound of the words, "my dad".   
  
Somehow, he had the feeling that she was up to something as she slipped into bed beside him. "What does that mean?"  
  
"It means just what I said," She replied, looking insulted that he would think she was up to no good. "I was talking to my dad."  
  
"And what came of this 'talk with your dad'?" He asked suspiciously.   
  
"Nothing," She said defensively, then turned her back on him to signal that the discussion was over. He sighed and shook his head, preparing himself for sleep, when seconds later, he heard, "I just promised him I'd set him up with my mom."  
  
Trunks' eyes shot open. "What?!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Hehehe, how ya like dem apples? Tell me in your review. And check my little bio thingy. It usually has the estimated time it'll take me to update each of my stories. And feel free to read any of my other stories, and also check out my ideas for future fics as well. I love you all!  
  
Next Chapter: Bulma and Videl work harder than ever to bring their children back, and Trunks finally makes it to his mother's home to see if she can fix the broken invention. While this is going on, Pan enrolls at Orange Star High in order bring her parents together. 


	11. Chapter 11

Hello all. How's my readers doing today? Good I hope. I changed my pen name again. Yep. I'm the Angry Black Woman now. I think I'm going to stick with this one. And as for this story.... I got 105 reviews! Oh my God, I was practically cheesing when I saw this. Thank you all so much for all your reviews and comments and such. I was going to do a little 100 review special, but I couldn't think of anything to post, so I decided against it. Maybe I'll do a little 120 review special or something and have little snippets of my other stories and some that I haven't posted as well. You know, come to think of it, you guys can tell me what you think. I can write little mini stories or something about anything you want. Sounds good to me...  
  
Special Thanks to reviews from:   
Brandon B  
sugar   
zighawk- Email me with any kind of information if you still want the story done. My email address is on my bio.   
Anime Ambreen and Poke Manic   
Strawberri-grl- 100th reviewer! Yay!  
ills  
Matt  
pan86  
Aisha ClanClan  
  
Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I wasn't Akira Toriyama. I think you get my meaning.   
  
  
Chapter 11  
  
When Trunks awoke the next morning in the guest room bed of the Son house, his first thoughts were of Pan's plan to bring her parents together. He had fought with her well into the night about it, and of course he lost, but now he had all intentions of bringing it up again and conquering her defenses. After all, he was the reason his world existed at all, he was the one who defeated the Androids, and to top it all off, he was Saiyan royalty. How hard could it be to win an argument with his woman?  
  
As an after thought, he looked over his shoulder and noticed that Pan was nowhere to be found. He squinted, still somewhat in a haze, and stumbled his way outside the room into the hall to look for her.   
  
He found his way into the kitchen, thinking that that was probably where a semi-Saiyan would be in the morning, and only found Chichi clearing dishes from the table and Goten and Little Trunks watching cartoons in the living room.   
  
Chichi looked up and smiled at him. "Well, hello there, Trunks. How are you this morning?"  
  
Trunks still looked confused and ran a hand through his tousled, lavender hair. "Uh... good... Have you seen Pan this morning?"   
  
"Yes, I have," Chichi replied. "She ate breakfast with us and then disappeared after Gohan went to school."   
  
- Shit.- Trunks thought. "Oh..."   
  
"Are you hungry?" Chichi asked, then realized that was a dumb question to ask a half-Saiyan.   
  
And as Trunks sat down to eat the mountains of food Chichi prepared, he couldn't help wondering if Pan's absence had something to do with Gohan and Videl. (A/N: Duh... He's a smart one, isn't he?)  
  
~*~  
  
Gohan walked down the hallways of Orange Star High School with a lighter step and a much brighter face than he had had the night before. Pan had instilled new hope in him, and although it was still a mystery to him, he felt that this woman with the familiar looks and the long, raven hair could be trusted, that if you put faith in her she could do almost anything. It was a strange and foreign feeling, and he couldn't help but wonder what it meant.   
  
"So where's your first class?"   
  
Gohan turned to the woman next to him in the bandanna, baggy red shirt, and black jeans with a grin. "It's right down this hall. I sure hope your plan works, Pan."  
  
Pan grinned, looking just like the teenage version of her father. "It will, Gohan. Trust me, it will."   
  
She managed to enroll herself into Orange Star High School in a matter of minutes, after explaining that she was the long lost relative of Gohan Son and desperately wanted a chance to continue her education. They asked no questions, surprisingly, and simply complied, since Gohan was one of their most promising students. Of course Gohan thought the story she concocted was just that, a story, and Pan smiled again to herself as she thought of it. If only he knew....   
  
They turned one sharp corner and were finally in his homeroom class. She even managed to get into all of his classes, except one, and Videl was also in all of his classes. She figured it would be much easier to bring them together if they were together most of the time.   
  
Gohan found his seat next to Videl, and Pan took the vacant seat next to Gohan, earning a glare from the pig-tailed girl in the baggy shirt. Pan simply smirked at her, thinking to herself how much fun this adventure was going to be.   
  
~*~  
  
"So, you're saying this handful of scrap metal caused you and your girlfriend to get transported here?"  
  
Trunks nodded as he sat in a chair next to the blue-haired scientist in Capsule Corp.'s lab. He had decided to simply let Pan do whatever she wanted, only for today, just so he could have a clear enough head to assist the Bulma of this time in trying to find a way for them to get back to their time. It would only make him irritable to have to try to find Pan and drag her to Capsule Corp. with him like a bad little girl, so he ignored it for the time being.... well, the best he could, anyway.   
  
"May I ask what you were doing when this thing was destroyed?" Bulma asked, one delicate eyebrow raised as she poked and prodded at the various pieces of metal on her desk.   
  
Trunks didn't notice what she was hinting at by her expression and simply replied with, "Well, things got a little rough and the next thing we know we're somewhere on a street and the invention flew to the ground."   
  
"Things got a little rough?" Bulma raised her eyebrow again and looked him dead in the face. "What does that mean?" Her face suddenly twisted into a slow smirk, and catching her meaning, Trunks almost flew out of his chair.   
  
"No, no, no," He repeated, flailing his arms around. "Nothing like that.... no.... no... NO!"   
  
Bulma laughed. "Ok, Trunks, I get it. I'm sorry. I had to ask."  
  
Trunks, who was blushing furiously, looked at his mother with a weird expression. "I was just trying to get the damn thing away from her but she was so stubborn, it turned into a fight to get possession of it. Honest! That's what happened!" He felt like a kid that was blamed for breaking something and had to stumble around for the truth to clear his name.   
  
"Ok, Trunks. Calm down." Bulma told him, still laughing, but her joy was cut short when a spiky-haired, arrogant man walked down the stairs in nothing but spandex shorts.   
  
"Woman," He roared with his raspy, powerful voice. "Food," was all he said, and anyone could see the streak of dominance in his demeanor by the tone of his voice.   
  
"Get some yourself, Vegeta," Bulma told him, disgusted at having to be interrupted because of his selfish needs. "Can't you see that I'm busy?"  
  
It was then that Vegeta actually noticed Trunks' presence, although he felt his ki around the house all morning. "So I see. What brings you here again, future brat?"  
  
Trunks just smirked at the name. "An accident. My girlfriend and I got transported here and now we have no way to get back home, since the invention is now demolished." He gestured toward the pieces of metal and Vegeta just snorted in answer.   
  
"Where is this 'girlfriend' you speak of?" Vegeta asked. He felt around for another ki, but didn't find anything unfamiliar.   
  
"To be honest, I haven't a clue," Trunks answered. His ki slightly rose when he thought of what she was probably doing.   
  
Vegeta snorted again. He wanted to meet this girl that his son had chosen to bond with. It wasn't just the bite mark that was clearly in view on his neck, but it was a number of ways that Trunks' acted that told Vegeta that she was his mate. For starters, his ki rose when Vegeta asked him where she was, and only a bonded Saiyan gets so possessive of their mates as to get antsy and even angry when they don't know where their mates are. And then there was a way in which his eyes looked when he said the words, "my girlfriend", that spoke volumes. It was a look of tenderness and possession that Vegeta was sure Trunks didn't even know existed.   
  
Something else about Trunks aroused Vegeta's curiosity. He squinted his dark eyes at him, and without warning, leaned over and actually sniffed his son from the future. When Vegeta's nose turned up with a look that said, to Trunks, "You smell like shit, boy", he suddenly looked confused and panicked.   
  
"Uh... what?" Trunks asked as calmly as possible as Vegeta sniffed him again.   
  
"Your scent..." Vegeta murmured with a look of concentration, which turned to disgust again. "The scent of Kakarrot spawn."   
  
Trunks narrowed his eyes, and then it hit him and he looked suddenly nervous. He was smelling Pan. But how could he detect that she had Goku's genes inside of her from simply smelling him? He realized now that there were some things that he really didn't know about the Saiyan race.   
  
"Oh, Vegeta, grow up," Bulma said. "All he did was spend the night at Chichi's house. How can you possibly smell 'Kakarrot spawn'?"  
  
"Easy," Vegeta replied, then smirked. "They have strange, strong smells. Kind of like you, woman...."  
  
Bulma glared at him. "What do you mean by that?"   
  
"Humans stink," He replied simply, as if it was a well known fact.   
  
Bulma forgot all about the broken invention and her future son and started one her trademark battle of words with her husband. Trunks just sat there staring into space, thinking that if Vegeta could smell Pan on him, then he might be well on his way to finding out who Pan was, which was very dangerous. He'd either have to hide Pan's face from him at all costs, or douse himself in cologne the next time he entered the house of Bulma Briefs.   
  
Back to the Future... Er... Present... Er... You get my point....  
"Goddamn it..." Bulma said in exasperation. She was working nonstop to try to find a way to bring her son and future daughter-in-law back to their time, but nothing was working. She'd sent Videl home the night before, with some difficulty, but she still didn't want to rest until she figured out how to bring them back. She felt like a complete failure at that moment, for she had never had such a rough time with a scientific problem. She was beginning to wonder if she'd finally found the one thing that challenged her.   
  
"Well, good morning, Sunshine," Videl said sarcastically. She was at the top of the stairs leading to Bulma's lab, and had just walked in in time to hear Bulma's curse. "I take it things aren't going well..."  
  
"Unfortunately they're not," Bulma replied with a sigh. She looked truly exhausted on the outside, and she felt that way too, but there was a feeling inside her that wouldn't let her quit if it was the last thing she ever did. "I just can't figure out where they went. It almost seems..." She wanted to say impossible, but she didn't want to panic Videl. Although Videl was a very strong person, a woman who was never one to back down from a challenge, she was also very susceptible to panic-stricken moods in a matter of seconds. Things like losing her parents and husband to the Androids along with motherhood gave her a slightly more cautious eye and dulled her impulsiveness and bold attitude, and she was also very protective of her only child for obvious reasons. Pan was all she had, and she probably would never function right again if she ever lost her.   
  
"I know how you feel...." Videl told her, in regards to their current situation. It was mind-boggling to her too, although even more so, since Bulma was the science genius.   
  
Bulma nodded and decided that to continue when she was obviously tired and hungry wouldn't be a very wise decision. "What do you say we take a break and get something to eat? I could use a little rest right now."  
  
Videl nodded, but like Bulma, she didn't want to leave the situation unattended to for long. "Sure. That sounds good. I'll cook you something."  
  
They proceeded up the stairs, and then suddenly, Bulma began to laugh. "Do you even remember to how to cook for a human, and not a Saiyan?"  
  
Videl laughed with her. "No, not really, actually..." She trailed off and they both were silent as they ate. They knew they had to find their kids soon. They're whole existence depended on it.   
  
Back to the Past....  
It was lunch time at Orange Star High School, and as Gohan and Pan stood in line waiting to get their lunches, Videl watched them closely. She'd been watching them ever since Pan made herself known to Orange Star, and she didn't know why, but Pan irritated her. Of course it could've been the way she just appeared out of nowhere with the future version of Trunks and interrupted her flying lesson. And it also could've been the fact that Pan got along with her friends better than she did. And then there was the fact that everywhere Gohan went, she went. She decided it was the second and first choice, even though she knew deep down inside that it was actually the third one. She hated Pan being so close to Gohan, for understandable reasons. She stuck to him like she was a little girl or something. Who did she think she was, his daughter?   
  
Gohan leaned over to whisper in Pan's ear, "What exactly are you going to do to help me get Videl?"   
  
Pan smirked at his impatience. "Don't worry about it. Good things come to those who wait." - Even though I don't have a clue as to how to get you two together. I wish I knew, but I really don't. I already decided against trying to make her jealous, because that would just be creepy. Goddamn it, why is this so hard!- She also thought of the what Trunks was going to say when she saw him later that day, and she almost cringed at the prospect of the tongue-lashing she was sure to get.  
  
She followed Gohan absentmindedly to a table near the back of the cafeteria where Videl, a girl with short, blonde hair, and a guy with long hair of the same color were already seated. She had already met them, and knew them as a ditzy blonde named Erasa, and a pompous jerk named Sharpner. She hated Sharpner right from the start, as soon as he opened his mouth and tried to hit on the teenage version of her mother. And the hatred only increased once he flung an insult her "father's" way. To be blunt, Sharpner was clear on the other side of the tracks, a long way from Pan's good side.   
  
"Hey, Pan. Gohan," Erasa greeted them, with a flirtatious hint in her high-pitched voice as she said Gohan's name. She winked and smiled at him, making him blush. Videl and Pan looked they wanted to pummel her face in for it. That just sent Erasa to the bad side where Sharpner was.   
  
Sharpner greeted Pan and mumbled something to Gohan, and Pan grudgingly said a polite hello to him too. He grinned idiotically and said, "How are you doing today?"   
  
Pan raised an eyebrow at him. Something about his tone made her suspicious. "Um... good..."  
  
"That's great," He said in the same tone, and Pan was thankful that she was sitting on the opposite side of the table next to Gohan and Videl. That was, until he reached over and laid a hand on her knee. Her eyes widened like plates and he just grinned like the fool that he was.   
  
"So how do you like school so far, Pan?" Erasa asked conversationally.  
  
Pan swiped Sharpner's hand away and gave him a warning look before turning back to Erasa, who was seated next to Sharpner. "It's ok. I mean, how fun can school actually be?"   
  
"You have a point there," Erasa replied as they ate their lunches, even though Gohan and Pan were clearly not satisfied with the amount of food. They were both finished in a matter of seconds. "Wow... I guess you are related to Gohan after all..." Erasa said in regards to her eating habits.   
  
Pan laughed and brought her hand to the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess so."  
  
Videl raised an eyebrow at that, but continued to eat quietly as she watched Pan's every move like a vulture waiting for the right moment to swoop down on its prey.   
  
Pan was about to bring Videl into the conversation when Sharpner's persistent hand crept back to her knee. Her ki flared up, a gesture Gohan clearly noticed, and picked the time when Erasa started to talk again (for he knew she could talk for hours when she wanted to) before he whispered to her, "Anything wrong?"  
  
Pan moved Sharpner's hand again and tried to remain as calm as she could when she answered Gohan. "No, I'm good." Then she started to feel some new feeling, a feeling that she only felt with her mother. It was a feeling that told her to spit out the truth, and she almost grinned when she felt it come to place. "Well... I'm kind of having a little problem with someone here at this table." She motioned to Sharpner with her eyes, who was pretending to listen to Erasa and catching glances her way.   
  
Gohan raised an eyebrow and felt a sudden urge to protect Pan. "Sharpner? What's he doing now?"   
  
Almost as soon as Gohan uttered the last few words, Sharpner's hand reappeared on her knee, this time creeping its way all the way up her thigh. Her eyes widened with anger, as did Gohan's when he noticed, but before he could act on it, Pan sprung up, reached over the table, and yanked Sharpner out of his seat by the collar of his shirt. Erasa and Videl both looked startled as they moved away slightly, but Gohan only smirked at her reaction, and was reminded of Videl by her act of sudden violence.   
  
"What is your problem, asshole?" Pan yelled into Sharpner's face. "Did you not understand that I don't like you? Didn't you figure out that I wasn't interested the first time I moved your hand away from my damn knee?!" She was almost speaking through gritted teeth and Gohan couldn't help but notice that her ki continued to rise.   
  
"Uh... sorry..." Sharpner mumbled, looking like he was about to piss on himself.   
  
"Sorry?" Pan continued to yell in his face, and her ki rose even more as she said it.   
Sharpner nodded pathetically, hoping that that would make her leave him alone, and Pan smirked. "Well, unlike you, I'm not going to feel sorry when I do this," She brought her fist back and knocked the living shit out of him, literally. The force of her fist sent him into a wall, and he slid down into it on his now soiled pants.   
  
The rest of the spectators, along with everyone else in the cafeteria, looked totally shocked by the power that she possessed, then most of them remembered that she was related to Gohan and that shouldn't be such an odd situation. It didn't stop Pan, however, from blushing and imitating the Son gesture, realizing that keeping her heritage a secret might just be a little harder than she thought.   
  
"Uh... guess I don't know my own strength..." She said sheepishly through nervous laughter, while Gohan and Videl exchanged glances, wondering what this girl from the future was hiding.   
  
~*~  
  
Trunks sighed as he sat next to Bulma, who was still trying to piece the invention with no name back together. It seemed hopeless to both of them. It was like trying to put a puzzle back together, but with wires and metal and complicated grooves in which the pieces were supposed to fit into.   
  
"I'm sorry, Trunks," Bulma told him. "This is just really hard... and time consuming. I can't believe I ever built something like this..." She said the last part almost to herself, wondering how something that was described to be the size of a football be so intricately designed.   
  
"It's ok... I'm sure my mom from my time is trying to figure something out," Trunks told her, although he couldn't see how she would ever be able to figure out where they went. It seemed almost pointless, like the answer had blown away in the wind and was never coming back.   
  
"You need food.... we'll take a break," Bulma told him, and smiled at his reaction. Food was always the Saiyan alternative to every situation.   
  
As they headed up the stairs to the kitchen, Bulma turned to Trunks and asked, "So, where is this girlfriend of yours? I'd like to meet her sometime."  
  
Trunks smiled at the mention of the girl that he loved. "I hope you can meet her too. I'm not really sure where she is at the moment, though...." His smile faded as he thought of it.   
  
Bulma noticed the drastic change in his mood and inquired, "Did you two have a fight? You look a little down in the dumps, kid."  
  
Trunks shrugged. "Sort of. More like a disagreement. See, she has this silly little idea in her head and I'm against it. And being the stubborn girl that she is, she went along with it anyway."   
  
Bulma nodded as she turned on the stove and stuck her head in the refrigerator. "I see. And you're a little angry about it, right?"  
  
"Hell ye- I mean, of course."  
  
Bulma smirked. "Well don't you think she has a right to make her own decisions?"  
  
"Of course I do.... but this is a little different... it's hard to explain."  
  
"Ok, I won't pry in your business anymore. But I do have a question. Do you love her?"   
  
Trunks didn't appear to be startled by the question like she thought he'd be. She expected him to cower in a corner, like Vegeta almost did when she asked him if he loved her for the first time. But instead, he smiled slowly, and his blue eyes shined with a tenderness that told Bulma even before he said the words, "More than anything."  
  
Bulma smiled. "Then that's all that matters, right?"  
  
"Right." - But that won't stop me from screaming at her the first chance I get....-  
  
~*~  
  
Pan and Gohan walked the first few blocks from Orange Star on their way home, and turned into an alley so that Gohan could fly without being seen. He called the nimbus cloud for Pan, assuming that she couldn't fly, and together they took off in the direction of the Son House.   
  
"Pan," Gohan shouted over the sound of the wind in their faces. "I hate to sound ungrateful or impatient, but when exactly will this plan of yours take effect?"   
  
"I'm not really sure, Gohan," She decided to be honest with him. "I haven't got an actual clue as to how I'm going to do this.... and then there's Trunks to think of..."  
  
"Trunks?" Gohan asked. "What about Trunks?"  
  
"He doesn't want me to do this," She said simply. "I discussed it with him last night and he made a big deal about not interfering with your world because it could change the future or something.... I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention."  
  
Gohan laughed. "So why are you doing it then?"  
  
Pan looked at him with a smile. "I guess it's just something I know in my heart is right."  
  
Gohan seemed satisfied with that answer, and turned back towards the skies. Pan thought she should see Trunks and get her dosage of screams and yells over with, and feeling his ki nearby, she called out to Gohan and told him she wanted to see him. He nodded, but almost had a heart attack when Pan jumped off the nimbus cloud.   
  
He stopped flying and stammered, "What the-" But stopped when he noticed her hovering in the sky in front of him. "You can fly?"  
  
Pan grinned. "Yeah. Trunks taught me." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly telling the truth either.   
  
Gohan nodded to her and then asked, "You want me to show you where Capsule Corp. is? I can feel his ki there."  
  
"No, it's ok. I know where he is." She almost smacked herself when she noticed that she slipped up again.   
  
"You do? How can you tell?" Gohan asked.   
  
She decided to tell him about the bond, that she knew where he was at all times because of it, as well as his thoughts and otherwise. She was stretching the truth just a bit, but it got him off to his house and left her alone at the door of Capsule Corp. to face the wrath of the Prince of Saiyans' only son.   
  
Speaking of the prince, he was the first face that Pan saw when she rang the doorbell, and it wasn't exactly a happy face either. He sized her up and immediately noticed something familiar about her.   
  
"What do you want?" He asked harshly, still in his spandex training shorts.   
  
Pan looked at him long and hard and deduced that by the enormous amount of muscles, and slight resemblance to Trunks that this was the almighty Saiyan Prince, Vegeta. She also deduced that spandex on him was not very attractive.   
  
"I'm looking for Trunks," She answered Vegeta, not once alarmed by his tone. "Is he here?"  
  
"Depends on which one," Vegeta replied. "I assume you mean the future brat." She nodded and he moved aside to let her in. It was when she brushed past him that he got a whiff of her scent, the same scent he smelled on Trunks. "So, you're his mate, eh?" He asked, his eyebrow slightly raised.   
  
"Yes, I am," Pan replied. "My name is Pan. You must be Vegeta," She smiled, and added, "Prince of all Saiyans."  
  
Vegeta smirked. "Indeed I am. The brat is downstairs."  
  
Pan nodded and disappeared into the hall, following the trace of Trunks' ki, while Vegeta placed a hand on his chin, pondering the scent that radiated off of her.   
  
- I was right.... it was the scent of Kakarott.... but...- He stopped there and went back to his training. He'd have to have a word with Trunks later.   
  
~*~  
  
"So, you went to Gohan's school, huh?" Trunks asked, angrily. After Pan met Bulma, she departed up the stairs to Vegeta to give the two lovers some much needed time. "Didn't I tell you not to do that?"  
  
"What gives you the right to run my life?" Pan shot back, just as angry at him as he was at her. "You are not my father, Trunks."   
  
"I've been more of a father to you than anyone else!" He blurted out, then regretted his choice of words.   
  
Pan's face grew into a sullen facade. "Yeah.... and all because he was too much of a great person to risk your life... so instead I got you instead of a father...." She sat down in a nearby chair. "It's times like this that make me wonder if that was such a good idea...."  
  
Trunks' anger faded as he knelt in front of Pan and took her hand in his own. "I'm sorry, Panny-chan. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that you can't do this. Tampering with the events in the past can possibly mess up the future. It's too risky."  
  
"But yet you can come here twice..." She mumbled, and started to talk again before he could defend that situation. "Yeah... I know that was a different story, but let me ask you this: Didn't you think that Goku would've tried to get your parents together when you told him who they were?"  
  
Trunks looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "From what I've heard, Goku would be to carefree and absent-minded to think of something like that."  
  
Pan narrowed her eyes but said nothing in regards to that remark. "I still don't see what harm it'll do to get them together..."  
  
"You'll see when we get back to our time and find out we have to destroy mind-controlling slugs or something."  
  
Pan sighed and looked away from Trunks. "You want to know why I want to do this?"  
  
Trunks looked intrigued. "Why?"  
  
"So there can be a Pan in this time.... so my dad won't have to feel like everyone he loves gets taken away from him..." She looked at him with tears in her eyes, and Trunks' heart melted when he saw them. He'd never thought of it like that, and he supposed that Gohan could very well feel that way. He had to watch so many of his friends and family die on countless occasions, and his father was dead forever because of his power blinding his good judgment. It would only be natural for him to feel something akin to that feeling, and that would certainly be unfortunate. So with a begrudging sigh, Trunks groaned out an, "Alright... do it... just don't get in my way..."  
  
Pan grinned and hugged Trunks tightly. "Really? Oh thank you, Trunks! I love you so much!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course you do now that you got what you want." He shook his head at her when she finally let go. "Just like when you were a child. You always hated your best friend, Trunks-kun, until you got what you wanted. Then you were in love with me."  
  
"Best friend..." Pan mumbled as she thought of something. And then she grinned when a plan finally formed in her head. - I can't believe I never thought of it before...-  
  
~*~  
  
Late that night, Trunks tossed and turned in his bed at the Son house. He dreamed of a dark, hollow place, with no light whatsoever. The invention lay at his feet in a million tiny pieces, but when he bent down to pick them up, they disintegrated.   
  
He looked around then, confused, and heard laughter in the distance, and someone calling his name. He looked in every direction, and suddenly, Pan came into view. She was far away from him, off in the distance of the dark place, laughing and pointing at him.   
  
"Pan!" He called out to her and ran her way, but the closer he got, the farther away she became.   
  
And then suddenly, a small black box appeared in her hands. The laughter ceased, as did Trunks' running as she opened it up. Inside were two small puppets that Pan held up for Trunks to see, and laughing again, she began to put on a show. She made the puppets hug and kiss, and to Trunks' horror, the puppets were Gohan and Videl.   
  
He ran toward her once again, but this time what stopped him was something even more frightening, for out of the shadows came a dark figure that engulfed Pan and her puppets. The only thing that was left was Pan's bandanna, which upon further inspection, displayed the words: I TOLD YOU SO!   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Like the ending? This just basically came out of nowhere and I just had to use it. As for future updates, I'm not really sure when I can get the next one out. You're basically going to have to be patient. Once "A Prince's Past" is rapped up, I can devote all my time to this fic and it'll be updated a lot quicker. Anyway, review, read my other fics, check out my bio for more info, whatever. Just make sure you review. I need 100 more reviews!  
  
Next Chapter: Xavier visits Capsule Corp. and gets unwillingly enlisted in Bulma's bizarre plan to bring Trunks and Pan back. Meanwhile, Trunks tries to cope with the many images and nightmares he begins to have and his father's interrogations, as Pan works on becoming better friends with Gohan and Videl. 


	12. Chapter 12

Ok, I know some of the scenes in my chapters are really corny. Believe me, I realize that. But I guess the purpose of them is to not only bring you random, corny, humor, but to establish relationships between certain characters. For example, that scene with Pan and Sharpner in the lunch room. That was a humor thing, and also something to show how Gohan and Videl react to Pan's arrival as well as to show, once again, Pan's temper when she feels threatened. Just wanted to say that incase you ever wondered what the hell certain snippets in the story had to do with anything. Sometimes I wonder... Anyway, enjoy this chapter and please, please review.   
  
Special Thanks To Reviews From:  
Brandon B  
zighawk- See my bio thing.  
ills  
pan86  
Anime Ambreen and Poke' Manic  
Swietowid  
Baby Saiyan   
Jezika  
Starlite Wind  
  
Disclaimer: Creative ideas that span into fan fiction are my area of expertise, not creative ideas that span into years worth of Anime, like Akira Toriyama's do.   
  
Chapter 12  
  
The next day, Pan and Gohan arrived at Orange Star High School earlier than usual. They were both excited that Pan had an actual plan, even if she wasn't sure it would work. All she knew was that the hostility between her and Videl would stand in the way of her goal, so she'd have to extend the olive branch of peace Videl's way before she even thought of anything else. Operation Save Pan's Existence was under way.   
  
"Hey, Videl," Pan said as she turned to the always scowling girl who was her future mother. "How's it going today?"  
  
Videl raised an eyebrow. "Fine...."  
  
Pan was slightly amused by her expression. "Did I do something wrong by asking you a question?" If she was anything like her mother was at that age, she was sure that she was right.   
  
"Actually, yes, you did," Videl replied, then turned her face away from Pan with an expression of pure disgust, as if Pan reeked of some sort of repelling stench. "I don't like you."  
  
Pan wasn't intimidated or even hurt by her sharpness. She knew it was only a defense mechanism. Videl was just a slightly different version of herself, after all. "Why is that?"  
  
Videl's head turned to face Pan sharply. "Because you won't shut up!"  
  
"And you think telling me this will make me shut up?" The look Videl gave her made her want to laugh out loud, but she suppressed the urge and continued to talk. "You know, if you knew me well you would've known that about me."  
  
"And your point is...?"   
  
"Well," Pan leaned back in her chair as the teacher took attendance in a monotone voice. "I think we should get to know each other. It looks like I'm going to be staying at Gohan's for awhile, and you're going to be there a lot for your flying lessons and what not, so it's obvious that we're going to spend a lot of time together whether we like it or not. I think we should make an effort to get to know each other." - Wow, I actually sounded logical...-   
  
Videl seemed to be pondering that idea as she tapped her pen rhythmically on her desk. "Makes sense.... I guess it wouldn't hurt to try to be nice, even if you are pretty annoying..."   
  
Pan grinned and put her arms behind her head, leaning farther and farther in her chair. "Glad you see it my way." She turned to Gohan and winked at him, just as her chair slipped all the way backward, making her fall to the hard floor on her head. The fall did more damage to the room, however, for the force of her weight made the room slightly rumble and crack in places. It didn't stop the class from laughing at Pan though and like a Son, she grinned and sat back down, blushing a radiant red.   
  
To The Future....  
"Damn, damn, damn!" Bulma cursed as she slammed her head on her desk with each word. The solution to their problem had yet to be solved, and the more she worked on it, the harder the solution seemed to be found. There was just no way she could track them down, and without knowing their exact location, she couldn't get into the other time machine to bring Trunks and Pan back. Unless they somehow found a way to bring themselves back on their own time, bringing Trunks and Pan back seemed like a lost cause. And when she told Videl that morning, regretfully, she went completely hysterical.   
  
"What the hell do you mean you've done all you can?" Videl shouted in Bulma's face. "You've got to be kidding? You're a fucking genius! There's got to be some other way!"  
  
"Well if there is, it's beyond me," Bulma replied, clearly frustrated. Her hair was tousled and matted to her face, and her eyes told a story of their own. But as for bringing their children back, there seemed to be no possible solution.   
  
"It's impossible..." Videl mumbled, shaking her head from side to side. "Pan will come back... she will... You will bring her back!" On the last sentence, Videl grabbed Bulma by the collar of her lab coat and was shaking her so hard that her teeth rattled. She screamed and smacked the blue haired scientist, totally in rage, frustration, and understandably on the verge of losing her mind.   
  
"Uh... hello?"  
  
Videl stopped when she heard another voice at the top of the stairs. She turned and saw Xavier standing there, looking both scared and embarrassed.   
  
"Uh... I'm sorry, but the door was unlocked so..." He trailed off.   
  
Videl dropped Bulma into her seat. "It's ok, Xavier. Come on down."  
  
Bulma was holding her rattled head and trying to regain her composure as Xavier took a seat next to Videl at an empty table.   
  
"Have you seen Pan these past couple days?" He asked. "I haven't been able to get a hold of her."  
  
Videl almost burst into tears as she told him the story, the fight for possession of the invention with no name, Trunks and Pan's disappearance, and their futile search for a solution in bringing them back home. Xavier was silent for a long time, obviously in shock at the news.   
  
"I've tried everything..." Bulma went on. "And there seems to be no solution to the problem."  
  
"Wow..." Was all Xavier could say. "Are... Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm afraid so..." Bulma told him. "The only way I can think of was taking the old time machine and traveling to whatever time they landed in to pick them up, but there's no way of knowing where they went... or..."  
  
"Or?" Videl's eyes widened at the sound of a hopeful possibility. "Or what?"  
  
"Well, it's time consuming..." Bulma went on. "But it could work..."   
  
"What?" Xavier was also getting impatient.  
  
"Well..." Bulma got up and started to pace her laboratory. "We could send one of us in the time machine and simply push in random time periods and search for them there."   
  
"What?" Videl asked. "How is that going to work? Where are we going to know to look for them?"  
  
"Gohan taught you to sense ki didn't he?"  
  
"Yeah...."  
  
"So you can feel around for their kis and if you don't sense them, jump into the time machine and go to a different time period."   
  
"Wait a minute," Videl stood up. "Why do I have to be the one to do this bizarre journey?"  
  
"You won't be alone," Bulma replied, grinning sadistically. "Xavier will be with you."   
  
"Wh-What?" Xavier shot out of his chair. "Why me?"  
  
"She needs someone to go with, that's why," Bulma replied as she took out a capsule from one of her drawers. She threw it to the ground, and out of the smoke appeared the same time machine Trunks had traveled in. "Now the time machine has to charge, so you have a couple hours to kill before you have to leave. I suggest you two think of a good strategy."  
  
Videl and Xavier looked at each other for a long moment, each with their own look of doubtfulness, curiosity, and fear.  
  
Back to the Past...   
"Interesting..." Bulma mumbled to Trunks as she tried to reassemble the invention once again. She was making better progress at it, learning how the wires connected and trying to piece it back together using her hypotheses. So far, they managed to reassemble it wrong twice and each time they had to take it apart and start over, of course. They were getting somewhere at least.   
  
The conversation she held with Trunks while they were working was basically his telling of the story of how he got together with Pan, the condensed version at least. He started all the way from his relationship with her father, although he didn't reveal his true identity, to her birth, to the most recent events that brought them together romantically and inevitably caused their bondage and unwanted wedding preparations.   
  
"Pan's mom sounds like Chichi," Bulma said with a laugh. "That woman would do anything to be able to plan Gohan's wedding."  
  
Trunks smiled. "Pan's not so happy about it. In fact, I think she's a little afraid to get married, and frankly, so am I."   
  
"Well Pan is only 18," Bulma replied as she fingered a piece of metal and tried to figure out how it fit on the invention. It was truly a tedious task. "That's not unreasonable. But what's your excuse, Trunks? You're what... 34?"  
  
"Thirty-two, thank you very much," Trunks replied, looking somewhat disgusted.   
  
"Whatever. Anyway, what do you have to be afraid of?"  
  
"The ball and chain. What else?"  
  
Bulma snorted and brushed some of her blue locks out of her face. "Men. I don't know what it is that makes you afraid of commitment.... Maybe it's more a Saiyan thing. I don't think I've ever met a human man who was so irrationally afraid of marriage. I nearly had to knock Vegeta unconscious to get him down the aisle."  
  
Trunks laughed picturing the image she construed. "I don't think it'll be as serious as all that. I love Pan; I just don't know if I want to marry her yet. We're already married, technically... if you count the bond that is. There's no way we can reverse it; we're meant to be together forever now. If you think about it, getting married the old fashion way is pointless."  
  
Bulma shook her head. "No matter how you try to sugar coat it, the fact of the matter is, you're still not married. I don't care if you are in the Saiyan sense, she's human, you're half human. If you keep having sex and pretend you're married, there's no point in putting it off."  
  
Trunks blushed to the roots of his hair at the mention of sex, but ignored it as his mother from the past smirked at him.  
  
She laughed. "Grow up, Trunks."  
  
Orange Star....  
"So your Dad saved the world from Cell, huh?"   
  
Videl nodded proudly as she carried a surprisingly pleasant conversation with Pan. They sat at their usual table in the cafeteria at lunch, minus Sharpner and Erasa, and Videl hated to admit it, but she was beginning to like Pan. She noticed that Pan was so much like her that she didn't understand why she ever hated her in the first place. Of course it was the fact that she seemed too close to Gohan too quick, but the more she got to know her and see how she interacted with Gohan, she seemed harmless. She looked like a lost little girl simply clinging to someone for comfort, for a new friend or something she lost. If only she knew...  
  
"Wow..." Pan said, trying not to sound sarcastic, for Videl's sake. Trunks had told her the story of Cell a million times, and knew the true savior of the world was Gohan. It made her grin just realizing that her father saved the entire world from a vicious tyrant. "What a story..."  
  
"Yeah," Videl replied. "He's the strongest guy in the world... although sometimes I think the whole Cell thing is a load of bullshit."  
  
Gohan, who sat next to Pan, began to choke on an enormous chicken leg. Pan just ignored him and asked, "Why is that?"  
  
"Well..." Videl looked up, as if trying to gather her thoughts, and then back at Pan. "The footage from the Cell Games is really incomplete, so he could've stolen the credit from any of the other fighters there. And given that most of them were related to Gohan in some way, there's a good chance one of them could've defeated Cell while the cameras were blown out."  
  
"I see..." Pan mumbled as Gohan struggled with chewing his chicken leg. His heart was racing a mile a minute, hoping and praying to Dende that she wouldn't find out his secret.  
  
Videl raised an eyebrow at Gohan. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Uh... yeah," Gohan replied, looking both paranoid and nervous. "I'm good."  
  
Videl gave him another weird look before she continued to talk to Pan. Gohan and Pan exchanged knowing looks, and somehow he knew she could be trusted. There was something about her that made him feel connected to her for life. Even though he just met her two days ago, she seemed so open and so much like him.... and oddly enough, like Videl. But the feelings he felt for Videl were entirely different from what he felt when he was with Pan. Sure, he felt comfortable and at ease and even protective with both of them, but the reasons were far different, far from his comprehension. He was certain, however, that if Pan was able to hook him up with Videl, he would be forever grateful.   
  
Later that day, Videl went home with Pan and Gohan after school for her flying lesson. Pan came along to watch and to be of some possible help, while Little Trunks and Goten played some bizarre game which looked to Pan like "let's see how many boulders we can blow up".   
  
"Videl, I know you can do this," Gohan told her encouragingly as she struggled to use her energy to levitate off the ground. "Just concentrate."  
  
"I... am... concentrating," Videl said through gritted teeth.   
  
"Concentrate harder then!" Gohan commanded.   
  
"I am damn it!" She screamed and let out a scream of anguish. "Why is this so easy for you? And Goten! It took him about 20 minutes!" She turned to Pan, who was sitting in the grass a few feet away from them. "How long did it take you to learn to fly?"  
  
Pan grinned. It was hard to lie to make her feel better. It was entertaining to watch her mother not be able to do something to perfection. "About as long as Goten... maybe a minute or two longer..."  
  
"Wow..." Gohan trailed off, impressed. "How old were you when Trunks taught you to fly?"  
  
"Younger than Goten... maybe 5 or 6..."  
  
"ARRRRRGGGG!!!!" Videl screamed. "Why can't I do this?"  
  
Gohan walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "It takes time, Videl. Everyone is different. Some people it just comes naturally to, and others it doesn't. Don't get discouraged. It'll come to you."   
  
Videl just stared at him for awhile. His voice was so soft and calm that it sent chills down her spine. His words made her feel confident, and gave her a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, like butterflies. She didn't blink; but neither did Gohan. They stood, staring at each other as if the answer to everything complex in the world was in his dark, black orbs, and her lavender-blue ones. All time stopped. Nothing else existed. It was just Videl and Gohan...  
  
But from Pan's view, time didn't stop. She raised an eyebrow at the past versions of her parents, and then snickered at the look they were giving each other. - This is great. Maybe I don't have to work to get them together after all.-  
  
As Gohan and Videl moved closer and closer to each other, the space between their faces shrinking more and more, Pan sat at the edge of her seat, waiting for the outcome of this sudden act of affection. But in the distance, she felt an odd surge of power, and felt ki flying towards them at inhuman speeds. Realizing what was happening, she screamed, "Look out!"  
  
Gohan's brain finally focused on something other than Videl, just in time to see the ki blast flying towards them. In one quick action he grabbed Videl and pushed her down to the ground as the blast coasted past them and into a boulder. If he hadn't thrown Videl onto the ground with him, the blast would've collided with her stomach and the outcome would've been fatal.   
  
Gohan looked down at Videl from his position, which just happened to be on top of her. "You ok, Videl?"  
  
Videl, who had been shaking and obviously startled by the sudden events, looked up at Gohan and replied, "... I... yeah. I'm ok."   
  
It was then that Gohan noticed the position they were in and bolted up so fast even Pan couldn't see the movement. She snickered and walked over to them as Gohan helped Videl up. The Sons and a future Son looked up at the sky, and saw Goten rubbing his head with the Son grin plastered on his face, and Little Trunks laughing, hovering in the air next to him. They had found their culprit.   
  
"I'm sorry!" Goten yelled, blushing.   
  
Gohan shook his head. He was never going to get what he wanted.  
  
~*~  
  
Darkness suddenly appeared and the white light that was once the setting of this strange parallel universe dispersed without a trace. The occupant of the unknown place of darkness was relieved, for the light was terribly blinding and hurt his crystal blue eyes.   
  
But even though the darkness was comforting, it soon became disturbing, for he could not see anything at all. The realization that he was in the middle of nowhere made him somewhat panicked, but he quickly calmed himself and started to walk around his prison of obscurity.  
  
Suddenly, the ground began to quake, first slightly, then violently until it knocked the lavender-haired warrior off his feet. He looked up in wonder as the ground began to separate and the once blackness was now replaced by fire. It looked somewhat akin to hell, or the inside of a volcano. Rock and dirt... and so much fire...  
  
Trunks stood up on shaky feet and looked down from his position on a cliff-like formation. It appeared to be standing in a pool of what looked to be molten lava. Whatever this place was, Trunks knew he was getting the hell out of here.   
  
But as soon as he started to take off in search of an exit, Pan suddenly appeared on a higher cliff. She was sitting down and rocking back and forth with a blank look on her face, as if she was in some sort of hypnotic trance.   
  
"Pan!" Trunks called out to her. "What are you doing? Get down here with me!"  
  
She continued to rock back and forth, but turned to look at Trunks as if she'd never seen him before. He called her name again, but she started to shake her head and then she disappeared.   
  
"Trunks."  
  
He turned around and saw Pan behind him, the same vacant look in her onyx eyes. "Pan, come with me. We've got to get out of this.... place..."  
  
She shook her head again. "Why'd you let me do it, Trunks?"  
  
Trunks looked confused. "Do what?"   
  
She stared at him and refused to answer, never blinking, never uttering a sound. Trunks tilted his head to the side and tried to grab her arm. The volcanic-like place they were in seemed to be ready to explode, and he wanted to get them out before it was too late. But Pan stepped back when he tried to touch her, and her eyes suddenly grew as wide as plates.   
  
"Pan, what's the matter?" Trunks asked, deeply concerned and confused. He tried to step forward, but she always moved away from him, and now not only did she have a look of panic on her face, but her breathing was irregular, heavy and loud. She brought a hand to her heart as tears suddenly sprang to her eyes and flowed freely like two rivers of despair, but she wouldn't let Trunks touch her. Wouldn't let him try to help her. She was obviously in pain and it was driving him crazy that he couldn't bring the pain away. Their bond allowed him to feel her pain almost as bad as she did, and it was so unbearable that he was ready to cry if he couldn't stop it.   
  
"Please let me help you, Panny," He said as calmly as he could, even though his heart was racing. He brought his hand out for her to take it, but she practically ran away from it, looking so panicked and frightened that he was sure it literally broke his heart. Still breathing heavily and clutching her heart, she backed up so much that she was almost to the edge of the narrow cliff they were standing on; one more step backwards and she would be long gone.   
  
"Pan, don't move back!" He screamed and instinctively ran forward, but the sudden movement scared her and she did exactly what he didn't want her to do: she moved back. She stepped off the cliff and began to fall to her death. Trunks was about to fly in after her, but found he couldn't move. All he could was scream her name as hot tears ran down his cheeks in never-ending streams, and as she continued to fall, he could hear her call his name desperately... Trunks... Trunks...  
  
"Trunks? Hello?...... Wake up!"   
  
Trunks jumped up, startled. "What?"  
  
"You were asleep at my desk," Bulma replied. "And I guess you were having a nightmare because you were screaming something and twitching a lot." She wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with a look of maternal concern. "Are you ok?"  
  
Trunks slowly sat down in the chair he was sleeping in and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed loudly, the dream he'd just had still fresh in his mind and very disturbing. "Now I am... I had the strangest nightmare..."  
  
Bulma patted him on the back. "Want to talk about it?" He shook his head. "Well apparently Vegeta wants to talk to you about something. He said meet him in the GR before you leave."  
  
Trunks' eyebrows knit and made a crease in his forehead. He was really confused now, but shrugged it off as he tried once again to help his mother fix the invention before he called it a night. He was missing Pan terribly, even more so now that he'd had another disturbing dream. The one the night before was bad enough, but this one... it made him cringe just thinking about it. He never actually saw what happened to Pan in the last one; in the most recent one, he knew. And what was worst of all, he was powerless to stop it.   
  
He decided to check up on her, so he concentrated hard to send a mental message to Pan through their bond.   
  
~ Hey, Panny.~  
  
A few moments of silence, then ~ Trunks-kun! Where are you?~  
  
He walked through the halls. ~ Still in Capsule Corp. I have to stop by the GR before I leave. My dad wants to talk to me.~  
  
He heard Pan chuckle in his head and it made him smile. It was like a soft, sweet melody to him, a familiar song that brought him comfort when he really needed it. ~ Too bad your dad isn't the same age like mine is.~  
  
Trunks laughed. ~ Do you realize how weird that just sounded?~  
  
Pan laughed out loud this time, earning her weird looks from Gohan and Videl. ~ Oh well... When do you think you'll be here?~  
  
~ I don't know... As soon as I can... I miss you.~  
  
Pan smiled. He could picture it in his head as he neared closer to the Gravity Room. ~ I miss you too... So get your ass over here, damn it.~  
  
~ Yes, ma'am.... I love you, Panny-chan. ~  
  
~ I love you too, Trunks-kun.~  
  
The mental conversation was cut off just as he reached the front door of the Gravity Room. Inside, he heard small explosions, the only evidence he needed of his father's presence. He took a deep breath, wondering what Vegeta could possibly want with him. He was about to open the door when Vegeta suddenly appeared in front of it.   
  
"What's taking so long, brat?" He asked in his usual tone. "You've been standing out here for the past five minutes."  
  
Trunks grinned sheepishly. Probably something he'd acquired from Pan. "Just a little lost in thought I guess."  
  
Vegeta snorted as he walked inside and Trunks stepped in after him. The gravity in the room was well above the normal Earth level, but it didn't bother Trunks much, though he was very much relieved when Vegeta turned it off. He leaned against a wall with one leg drawn up, the same way his father was on the opposite wall.   
  
"So what's up?" Trunks asked. "Mom said you wanted to see me."  
  
Vegeta nodded. "Indeed I did. There's something I want to discuss with you."  
  
Trunks raised an eyebrow. "Go on..."  
  
Vegeta cleared his throat and shifted his position on the wall. "There's something strange about your girlfriend," No beating around the bush with Vegeta.   
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Her scent. It's oddly familiar to me. Not just because I smelled it on you the other day, but it reminds me of someone I absolutely hate. Someone I clearly despise with every fiber of my being. She smells like Kakkarot.... like a Son... and I want to know why... I demand to know why my son's mate smells like a... Son." He almost shuddered as he said the name. The idea that he would be related to Kakkarot in some way was utterly repulsing to the Prince of Saiyans, Kakkarot's sole enemy from the moment he met Vegeta. The idea was totally bizarre, so for the sake of his sanity, he was hoping that he was getting old and his senses were dulling.   
  
Trunks fidgeted under his father's questioning gaze. He looked down at the floor, trying not to look too guilty.   
  
He was afraid of this. He knew it right from the start that that advanced Saiyan sense of smell that his father possessed would get him into trouble. So now he either had to tell him the truth, that Pan was Goku's granddaughter from the future and swear him to secrecy, or simply keep his mouth shut, make up an excuse to get him out of this uncomfortable situation. But if he did that, what kind of excuse could he possibly come up with? Then again, if he told Vegeta the truth, there would no limit to the anger his father will summon. He could only imagine how it must feel for your own son to choose a descendant of your archrival for a mate. It must feel like the ultimate betrayal. But betrayal wouldn't stop Trunks from being with Pan. That would be betraying himself.   
  
"Well..." Trunks stammered after an interminable silence in the Gravity Room. The silence was so deafening that his ears were starting to ring. "I guess I should just blurt it out. But you have to promise me to keep this a secret, otherwise I can't tell you."  
  
Vegeta raised his eyebrow. "Whatever. Just tell me."  
  
"You promise not to-"  
  
"Yes! Get on with it!"  
  
Trunks fidgeted once again, and then began to speak. "Well, to make a long story short, Pan is a Son. She's.... Goku's granddaughter... Gohan's daughter."  
  
Vegeta started to laugh. Well... maybe laugh isn't the right word... Vegeta was nearly in tears he was laughing so hard. Obviously not the reaction Trunks was expecting. He didn't even know his father could laugh.   
  
"You mean that naive little brat actually got laid?" Vegeta managed to choke out. "I didn't even think he knew where babies come from."  
  
Trunks raised an eyebrow as Vegeta's laughter started to cease. "I didn't think it was funny..."  
  
"Oh, but it is," Vegeta replied, brushing tears from his face. Then, in his normal tone, "So you're telling me you've bonded with your dead best friend's daughter?"  
  
"Basically. Gohan died before she was born, so she's never known him."  
  
Vegeta smirked. "Who is this child's mother?"  
  
Trunks looked down at his feet as he answered. "I can't tell you that. I've told you too much already."  
  
"It's the Satan brat, isn't it?"  
  
Trunks' head bolted up. "How in the hell do you know everything?"  
  
Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest with that familiar look of arrogance on his face. "I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans. There is no limit to the knowledge I possess."  
  
Trunks ran a hand through his hair. "I should've known..."   
  
To The Future...  
"I can't believe I'm actually going to do this," Xavier said as he looked at the time machine sitting in the front yard of Capsule Corp. To him it looked like the symbol of his death, a vehicle which promised impending doom and no return.   
  
Videl couldn't agree with him more. She found the whole situation bizarre, annoyingly tedious, and a total act of desperation. But she was more than willing to try it for awhile. She needed her daughter back some how.   
  
"Ok," Bulma said as she stood in front of the time machine, checking everything out. She turned to Videl and pulled out a capsule which she placed in her friend's hand. "Take this. It's got about a year's supply of food and drinks in it."  
  
"A year?" Xavier nearly shrieked, looking totally taken aback. "Do you really think we'll be out there that long?"  
  
"There's no telling," Bulma replied. "But you have everything you need just in case." She pulled two more objects out of her pocket, which looked sort of like walkie-talkies. "You can use these to communicate with me. I'm not so sure that they'll work, they're sort of a last minute thing I whipped up, but I think they'll work out just fine. Call me when you land and if you find them. That goes for every place you land at."  
  
"Ok," Videl replied as Xavier helped her into the time machine. "No problem."  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Xavier mumbled to himself as he climbed into the free seat next to her.   
  
"Now everything else you can possibly need is in the time machine," Bulma told them. "You guys be careful, ok?"  
  
"Alright," Videl called to her with a wave.   
  
"I'm going to die... I'm going to die..." Xavier mumbled as he shut the time machine.   
  
"You ready?" Videl asked as she punched in a random course.   
  
"Whatever..." Xavier sighed as he put his hands on his head. "I knew I should've left Pan alone at summer camp... I mean, she was shooting light from her hands... and she's an alien... Was I on drugs at camp?"  
  
Videl ignored Xavier's nervous ramblings as the time machine began to shake and rise from the ground. She smiled and gave Bulma once last wave before she and Xavier disappeared for their unknown journey through the river of time.   
  
Bulma stood there in her yard for awhile, thinking about the last time she saw that very time machine disappear for another journey. She closed her eyes as she pictured Trunks waving to her... Videl standing next to her holding little Pan's hand while she screamed and cried, watching her best friend leave her. It was funny how much time had past, how much life had changed since then.   
  
When she finally walked back into the house, she smiled, remembering the word she scribbled on it when Trunks made his first journey to the past. That one four-letter word kept her sane while he was away, and she knew it would have to keep her sane once again. She just had to have hope.   
  
To The Past...  
"So now Vegeta knows my true identity?"  
  
Trunks nodded as he laid in the guest room bed at the Son house, watching Pan write something on the desk in front of him. He'd just explained his talk with Vegeta, and now Pan turned to him with worried eyes.   
  
"What if he tells someone?" Pan asked. "Couldn't that wreck my chances of getting born?"  
  
"Possibly," Trunks told her honestly. "But I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as Gohan and Videl don't find out, I don't think there should be a problem with it. I highly doubt my dad would squeal."  
  
Pan turned around to scribble on her piece of paper some more. "What makes you so sure?"  
  
"I just have a feeling... I figure if I can trust Goku with the same kind of information, I can trust my father."  
  
"I won't even ask what you mean by that."  
  
Trunks got up and walked over to the desk Pan was sitting at. "What are you writing?"  
  
Pan grinned. "Homework. Weird, huh?"  
  
"Oh yeah. I don't think you ever did homework when you were in high school the first time. And yet you still graduated with honors."  
  
Pan's grin turned into a cocky smirk. "And now that I've had a chance to see my parents in action at school, I can see why. Dad's practically a genius."  
  
"Don't you think you should get in the habit of calling him Gohan? You might slip up one day."  
  
Pan shrugged and walked over to the bed. "I guess I figure I should say it as much as I can now. I'll never get to call anyone 'Dad' again."  
  
Trunks walked over to her and put his arms around her. "I know, Panny. I know exactly how you feel. Remember, I grew up without my dad too."  
  
Pan smiled as Trunks kissed her forehead. "You always know how to make me feel better."  
  
Trunks smiled back before she started to kiss him, and soon all was forgotten. There were no worries involving what was revealed to Vegeta. No worries about how to get Gohan and Videl together. No worries about nightmares or marriage. All Trunks saw was Pan, and all Pan saw was Trunks. Nothing else mattered.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
Sweet little ending, huh? Don't forget to review. And it would help me out a lot if you would go check out my bio and let me know about the ideas I have for future stories. Not to mention if you would check out my two other stories, restore some of my faith in them. Thanks much. Oh! I didn't get to email anyone about this chapter because my stupid computer won't let me log in to my hotmail anymore. Ain't that a bitch? So you won't be getting update emails for... shit... there's no telling how long. Just be glad this chapter finally got posted... I should be doing homework right now, but I'm posting. Feel special.   
  
Next Chapter: It's been a week since they've landed, and Trunks is more than a little frustrated. Still having nightmares, he turns into a walking mass of nerves. Meanwhile, Pan and Videl grow closer when they are assigned to do a project for school and Gohan has a serious talk with Pan also. But while all this is going on, Xavier and the future Videl land in the wrong place at the wrong time. Excited? I bet you are. 


	13. Chapter 13

Ok, I will try not to take two months to update again. I'm not making any promises though. I only have this fic to worry about as of today, but that might change in the near future. I have many ideas for new fics and an idea to restore an old one to life. And in case you haven't noticed, this is a really long chapter. Microsoft Works says it's 23 pages, so be happy. That's the longest chapter I've ever posted. And also, I tried to update on my fic's birthday, the 10th, but it wasn't working. One year and a few days ago "Hope" was born. So help wish it a happy late birthday by giving me a nice review. Like these people below.   
  
Special Thanks To Reviews From:  
Jezika  
AnimeFreak-TrunksPan-luver4evr- I think I sent you an email, but in case I didn't or in case you didn't receive it, yes, Pan is Mirai. Except I tend to use the English dubbed crap. Makes it a lot easier.   
Nitte iz  
Brandon B  
pan86  
Kobe-Mac- By the way, Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA!  
Patrick  
  
Disclaimer: Do I really need to keep putting up one of these? If I do, I guess I will. I own nothing because I'm not important enough to own something as great as DBZ. I do own Xavier, who endures a lot of torture in this chapter.   
  
Chapter 13  
  
The guest room at the Son home was very neatly designed. The walls were a pale blue color to match the bed set of the same shade. The carpeting was plain white, simple yet suited for the room. There was a dresser lining the wall opposite the door, so when you walked in, it was the first thing you saw. There was a window to the right of it, which provided a nice view of the mountains in the distance and the many trees blowing in the gentle wind. If you stood at the door, the bed would be against the left wall, facing the desk which was against the opposite wall. There was a small closet in the room as well, on the wall next to the bed, which now contained Trunks and Pan's only outfit which they'd been wearing all week, due to the fact that they hadn't actually been able to pack for this trip through time.   
  
But Pan wasn't thinking about that as she sat at the desk at 3 that morning. She was totally mesmerized by the only picture that sat at the desk. It was a group picture, almost like the one she saw in her mother's shoe box that night months ago, which seemed like lifetimes ago, and in reality it was. There was Piccolo in the picture, Krillin and his family, the Briefs and of course the Sons, all smiling at Capsule Corp. for what looked like a celebration of some sort. Just the way they all smiled, looking so happy and carefree, like nothing in their lives had ever changed, had ever damaged their souls, had ever even threatened their happy little lives at all, made Pan keep her eyes on them. She was sort of dissecting them with her eyes, trying to find the hidden meaning, the reason why they were so happy and joyful. It seemed so unreal to her. They were people who's lived were endangered on countless occasions, yet they somehow found it in there hearts to be optimistic enough to still have fun. And through all this dissecting, all this confusion which took hold of her mind and concentration, Pan actually felt herself feeling a small pinch of jealousy.   
  
But, why shouldn't she? These people seemed to have everything. They had family. They had friends. Sure, she had those things, but her reality was a far cry from theirs. She could count her family and friends on one hand, but there were over a dozen people in this picture. They could still be happy, get together for old time's sake and have a good time. In Pan's world, the only real celebration was on Trunks and Pan's birthdays, but even they turned into a sad moment, a moment to remember everyone they'd lost and everyone Pan had never even met because of the tyrannous Androids. These people seemed to be so much more confident, so much more sure of themselves and in the fact that life could get back to normal after the many tragedies. For Pan and Trunks and the Videl and Bulma of their time, nothing returned to its normal course of action after the Androids. They lost everything, their friends, their family, and even their hope. These people had Dragonballs to aid them after a war; Trunks had none to turn to when the Androids were finally gone. Trunks, Pan, Bulma, and Videl lived a life of constant fear, during and after the Androids' cast a shadow on the Earth. First they were in constant fear of their lives; now they are in constant fear that their lives will be endangered again, that their small circle of comfort will get pulled apart again and one of them will join the others in the Other World. It was a constant battle to try to be happy again, because the fact that so many people that meant so much to them weren't there to be happy with them. They felt as though it still wasn't right to be too joyous. So for them, life could never be truly normal again; it changed too drastically. But for the people of the past, the smiling people in the picture, all they had to do was wish, and everything was in its rightful place until the next humongous power tried to establish dominance.   
  
Pan had every right to be jealous. These people had it so much easier than she did. They didn't have to grow up afraid to turn the corner everyday. They didn't have to grow up and learn that your father was killed on the exact day you were born, and feel guilty because it seems like he died so you could have a place in the world. They didn't have one friend in the whole world who traveled back to their time in order to protect them from the same haunting curse. But Pan did. And it wasn't fair.   
  
She hated this feeling, this feeling of envy. She always thought it an evil feeling. But it was true. She longed to be so carefree, so happy, so confident. And right now, enjoying the company of the smiling people in the picture, living in their peaceful time of no worries and fears, she could be like them. She could be happy. Confident. Carefree. There was nothing to fear here. And she liked that.   
  
She sighed as she traced the faces in the picture. The problem with their world was that it was false, she realized. They really weren't as happy as they looked. It was an illusion created so that they didn't feel as bad as they knew they should. An illusion to impair their sight, so that they didn't have to see the truth. The truth sometimes really does hurt.   
  
She knew that had to be the case. Especially for Gohan. She could tell by the way he reacted to some of the questions she asked him about the Cell Games that he was guilty about the outcome of the fight. Sure, he'd defeated Cell, but his father also died then because he got carried away with his newfound power. And to make matters worse, he refused to come when they tried to wish him back with their magical problem-solvers, the Dragonballs. The amount of guilt he felt had to be massive.   
  
And she could relate. She often found herself feeling guilty of her father, the future Gohan's, death. Of course she couldn't have stopped it, she knew, for she wasn't even born yet, but the fact remained that he died hours before she was born. That seemed just a little too coincidental to her. It was like he died to make room for her, and that made her wish it was the other way around. Though the rational Pan knew she had nothing to do with his death, the irrational Pan held on to the belief that he was a sacrifice so that she would exist. And more often than not, the irrational Pan took hold of the controls.   
  
She turned around then and looked at Trunks' sleeping form. His lavender hair was tousled everywhere, and his mouth was curved upward into a lop-sided grin, so she assumed he was sleeping peacefully for a change. The blanket was halfway draped over him, halfway on the floor, and she smiled at how much he looked like a little kid. Somehow thinking about him made everything better again. Just knowing he was there brought her comfort and reassurance she didn't know she needed. She felt almost 100 percent better knowing that even in his sleep, he was there for her.   
  
She was about to get up and was startled when Trunks suddenly frowned and started to thrash around in the bed, mumbling incoherently and growing louder and louder by the second. So much for a peaceful sleep.   
  
She went through this for the past few nights, waking him up when he had one of his nightmares and trying to sooth him. But this time she was already up, and proceeded to wake him by holding his flailing arms down and trying to shake him out of his slumber.   
  
"Trunks," She said, quietly so as not to wake up anyone else, but loud enough for Trunks to hear. "Wake up... Wake up."  
  
He awoke with a start, and was staring at Pan for second, somewhat in a daze. Finally he seemed to have registered who she was in his mind and immediately sat up and held her in a tight embrace. She rubbed his back and held onto him just as tightly, whispering words of comfort to sooth his disturbed state of mind.   
  
"Oh Kami, Panny," He said breathlessly. "It was so horrible..."  
  
"What happened?" Pan asked as he let go of her so he could look into her eyes.   
  
"Well.." He started as he ran a shaky hand through his hair. "It started out peaceful.... we were just sitting there in a field.... and then..." She grabbed his hand, sensing that he needed some support. "And then some... thing... came out of nowhere and he... it..." He broke off and held onto Pan again, the memory of the dream still too vivid and traumatizing to reveal the end of it.   
  
"It's ok now," Pan said to him soothingly as she rocked him back and forth like a child. "It was just a dream."  
  
"But it's more than that," He replied, his face in her long hair. "The dreams are so real... And they get weirder every night... And even more real... And something always happens to you and I can never stop it. It's driving me crazy."  
  
"I know. But it's ok now. It was just a dream."  
  
"You don't think they mean anything?" He was looking at her straight in the eye now, with a pleading, child-like look in his blue ones. "Don't you think it's weird that they all have the same ending? You don't think my mind is trying to tell me something?"  
  
"No, not necessarily. Not all dreams are literal and make sense. It could be whatever you put on that disgusting sandwich you had before you went to sleep that's making you freak out."  
  
"For six days straight?"  
  
Pan shrugged. "I guess you got me there... Just don't let these dreams worry you, Trunks-kun. They're just dreams. Nothing more. See, I'm still here aren't I?" He nodded, and she gave him a reassuring smile. "Then you have nothing to worry about."  
  
"I guess I'll take your word for it," Trunks replied as he pulled Pan into his lap. "They're just so real... These nights with barely any sleep are really starting to take their toll. I walk around Capsule like a walking mass of nerves." He sighed again as he ran his fingers through Pan's black hair. "I'm sorry I woke you up, Pan-chan."  
  
"You didn't," She replied as she closed her eyes, enjoying the soothing effect of Trunks' fingers in her hair. "I was already up."  
  
"Why? Couldn't sleep?"  
  
She nodded against his chest. "I guess you can say that. I've just been thinking a lot."  
  
"About?"  
  
Pan shifted her position so that she was facing him again. "It probably sounds stupid, but I was looking at the picture over there," She pointed to the frame sitting on the desk. "And I just got the weirdest feeling... I was jealous of them."  
  
Trunks raised an eyebrow. "Jealous of what?"  
  
She got up and walked over to the desk to grab the picture. She took her seat on the bed and then showed it to him. "Look at how damn happy they are. Like everything is just fine even though Cell and all these other morons keep coming to threaten their existence. How can they be so damn happy after all the damage that shit causes? I mean, Goku's not even there because of Cell. How can Chichi and Gohan look so damn content there? It all doesn't make any fucking sense. Mom and Bulma still aren't ok and it's been years since the damn Androids were defeated. It just... It just makes no sense..."  
  
Trunks was holding her then, cradling her in his arms. "I know what you mean Pan. I know exactly what you mean. It does seem unreal, and it is. But they also have very different situations than we do. We don't have any Dragonballs to turn to, but they do, so obviously things aren't going to change that much."  
  
"I know," She sighed. "I just can't help but envy them. I wish I wasn't so afraid of you leaving me for a second like these people are. It must be nice to have no worries."  
  
"I don't think they're all that carefree. Just a lot better at hiding it. But don't let that bother you Panny. Life isn't so bad at home, is it?"  
  
"No," She was quick to say. "In fact, you make it much more tolerable." She sat up and smiled at him as he kissed her forehead. "You know, no matter what the situation is, you always manage to make me feel better."   
  
He smiled back. "I feel the same way about you." He laughed lightly then and shook his head. "It's funny... I always remembered you running to me when you had a nightmare and me with the more difficult problems."  
  
Pan grinned. "Yeah, I guess we do have the roles reversed." She kissed him again, full on the lips, making him grin like an idiot afterwards. She laughed at his goofy expression, and just before he was about pin her down and land a kiss of his own, he looked at the closet and frowned. "What?"  
  
"I guess we probably should find some new clothes," He grinned mischievously. "Or maybe we don't need to wear any clothes at all."  
  
Pan blushed in spite of herself and lowered her eyes from his gaze. "I don't think the faculty would appreciate it if I showed up tomorrow wearing nothing but a bandanna and a smile."  
  
"No, but I think that'll look good on you," Trunks grinned at her embarrassment. "You're turning a nice shade of red."  
  
"What do you expect? It's not like I'm an old pro at this sex stuff like you are."  
  
Trunks laughed. "Believe it or not, I guess I do tend to get embarrassed by sex talk even at 32."   
  
Pan raised an eyebrow. "When?"  
  
"When I'm talking to my mother about it."  
  
Pan shuddered visibly, and made a sickening face that was amusing to Trunks. "How horrible... I feel for you. Why were you talking about sex?"  
  
"Well a few days ago, I was telling her about how we got together and how crazy our mothers are about us getting married, though we oppose it. And she basically told me that us sleeping together doesn't qualify as marriage, and neither does the bond."   
  
"So she's for this marriage thing too, eh?" Pan made a weird face. "I don't get it. We're married by Saiyan terms... what's the point in the whole human marriage crap?"  
  
Trunks shrugged. "I don't know... But then again, what are we so afraid of? Would it be that much different if we made it legal?"   
  
Pan looked down, with an unsure, possibly frightened look in her eyes. "I guess not... But I do know why I'm afraid."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
Pan turned away from him and stretched herself out on the bed, keeping her gaze on the ceiling fan above. "I'm afraid if we try to do something permanent like that it'll blow up in my face. That I'll have tried too much and you'll leave me again."  
  
Trunks looked horrified and appalled at the suggestion. "Pan, I love you. Why would I ever leave you?"  
  
Pan shrugged again. "I just have this nagging feeling that this is all some perfect dream, and I'll wake up finding myself alone."  
  
Trunks nodded and stared off into the distance. "Yeah... I feel that way too."  
  
~*~  
  
English class was normally one of Pan's favorite subjects. In her time, it was the subject she excelled in the most. But here in the past, at Orange Star High School, it was one of the more boring subjects she'd ever seen. She already knew most of the stuff that the teacher taught, so it wasn't a challenge to it or even a point. And the teacher made it even more unbearable, with his annoying, monotone voice and irrational assignments. She found herself doing a mountain of homework in a class she could pass in her sleep.   
  
"Pan Son."  
  
Pan's head shot up from it's resting place on her desk upon hearing her name come out of the boring teacher's mouth. "What?"  
  
The teacher, an old man who looked like he seriously needed to retire, frowned at her. "Please address me properly."  
  
Pan sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Mr. Dumbass?"   
  
Her comment spawned laughter in the classroom and the teacher almost growled at her. "It is pronounced, Doo-Moss."  
  
"Whatever. I apologize. Now what did you say my name for?"  
  
The teacher still wasn't approving of her attitude but decided to cut to the chase. "I wanted to let you know who your partner will be for the project that is due a week from today."  
  
Pan raised an eyebrow. "What project are you talking about?"  
  
The teacher sighed loudly and looked up at the ceiling, questioning himself on why he decided to go into teaching for the fifth time that day (which was significant considering it was first period). "The project I just assigned today. You will have to construct some type of model to help teach the class about some of the symbolism in the book we just read. I assume you've finished it..."  
  
"Oh yeah, of course." She used the book the other night to prop open the window in her room.   
  
"So," Mr. Dumass grabbed a piece of paper from his desk and looked it over. "Your partner is.... Miss Satan."  
  
Pan nodded and cast a look at Videl over Gohan's shoulder. She was half out of it too, obviously just as bored with English as she was. Pan mentally noted that this was a good time to try to get to know more about Videl and lure her into Gohan's arms. She grinned. Her plan seemed to be unfolding by the second.   
  
~*~  
  
The time machine touched down on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the flow of time. Dust moved slowly through the gentle breeze as Videl and Xavier stepped out onto the ground. The sun was bright and intense, so Videl had to use her hand as a shade as she surveyed her surroundings. There were eagles calling out in the distance and little sign of life anywhere. It looked like a classic desert scene in a typical western flick.  
  
This was far from Videl and Xavier's first journey. They'd been through countless places in time and always came out with not a bit of hope in finding Trunks and Pan. They were both beyond frustrated and very irritable, but still trying their damnedest to find them.   
  
"Where the hell are we?" Xavier asked after a few moments of silence.   
  
"Hell if I know..." Videl replied as she took her walkie-talkie out of her pocket. She held the button down and radioed Bulma. "Bulma, you there?"  
  
A few moments of silence and then, "Yeah, I'm here. Where are you?"   
  
"I have no clue," Videl replied, looking around again. "There appears to be no life around here... we're in a desert of some sort. Or some kind of deserted place with lots of mountains."  
  
"What year is it?"  
  
Videl looked over at Xavier who looked at the small screen in the time machine displaying the year. He used his own walkie-talkie to answer Bulma's question. "It says the year can not be defined... How can that be?"  
  
"You must have gone too far back in time. I don't think Trunks and Pan could be there. Why don't you just hop back in the time machine and go somewhere else?"  
  
"No, we're going to check it out," Videl told her. "I don't want to take any chances."  
  
"Suit yourself. Radio me if you find them."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Videl put the walkie-talkie back into her pocket as Xavier put the time machine into a capsule. He took a few steps forward so that he was standing next to her.   
  
"So what are we going to do?" He asked. "Should we just start walking around?"  
  
"I guess so," Videl replied, squinting her eyes in the bright sunlight.   
  
They began to walk through the dirt and dust as the sun beat down on them. It was so hot that they were sweating after five minutes of walking.   
  
"Do you sense anything?" Xavier asked.  
  
"Nope," Videl replied. "Nothing. In fact, I don't sense any kind of life here whatsoever... Wait... I take it back," Videl stopped, causing Xavier to do the same. "I do sense something... it's too weak to be Pan or Trunks though... And there's five of them... No six... Seven... Eight people... or things."  
  
The eight "things" she was speaking of slowly became visible. They were eight women to be exact. Eight, tall, burly women wrapped in animal skins from head to toe. One was carrying a club, and they all looked very... what's the word... manly.  
  
"Intruders..." The one with the club mumbled as they came face to face with Videl and Xavier.   
  
"Umm... hi," Videl extended her hand and smiled, but no one made an effort to be friendly. "Ok... can you tell us where we are... perhaps?"  
  
The eight manly women stared at her for awhile, before one of them spoke. "The Land Of Innumerable Women."  
  
Videl was surprised to hear that they actually sounded intelligent. They sure didn't look like it. "Ok... what year is it?"  
  
"Year?" The one with the club asked, looking blankly at Videl. "What does that mean?"  
  
Videl shook her head. "Never mind." She turned to Xavier. "Let's go. Pan and Trunks aren't here, I can already tell."  
  
"How can you tell?" Xavier asked as they started to walk away from the women.   
  
"Because these are the strongest kis I've felt in the whole dimension."  
  
"Wait, dark-haired woman!" The woman with the club called.   
  
Videl turned around. "Yeah?"  
  
"Is that a... man with you?"  
  
Videl looked at Xavier and couldn't help but smile. "I guess you can call him that."  
  
"Men are not permitted on The Land Of Innumerable Women. All men are destroyed."  
  
Xavier swallowed. "May I ask why?"  
  
One of the other women smiled evilly. "Because men are evil... They all must be destroyed."  
  
Videl couldn't help but laugh as Xavier grew more and more nervous. The women appeared to be advancing on him slowly. "Get serious. Men aren't evil."  
  
"Oh but they are... and they all must be destroyed."  
  
Just then, one of them leapt on Xavier and held him down, as another one pulled some rope out of nowhere and started to tie him up.   
  
"Hey!" Videl exclaimed as she finally registered what they were doing. "Let him go!"  
  
"No," The woman with the club said as she watched the other women tie Xavier up. "He is evil."  
  
"But he's not evil!" Videl shouted. "He's barely even a man!"   
  
"Videl!" Xavier exclaimed as he continued to struggle with the women. "Could you help or something?"  
  
Videl grabbed the club out of the woman's hand and began to beat the women who were tying up Xavier. But the one who originally had the club grabbed it out of Videl's hand and hit her so hard with it she lost consciousness and fell to the ground.   
  
"Oh shit!" Xavier shouted. "Videl! Wake up! Wake..."  
  
Xavier was interrupted when he too was hit over the head with the ferocious club. The woman with the club shook her head and ordered her women to tie up Videl too.   
  
"Foolish woman..."  
  
~*~  
  
"So Pan... how do you want to do this thing?"  
  
Pan stood looking at Videl as she sat at the desk in the quaint little guest room in the Son home. They decided to start getting to work on their project as soon as possible, considering neither one of them had a clue as to what they were doing. And Pan also wanted to get to know Videl as soon as possible so she could try and steer Videl to the desired path. She knew her days in this time were numbered, so she had to work quickly.   
  
"I have no clue... in fact, I don't even have a clue as to what the book is even about."  
  
Videl smiled. "Neither do I. All I know is it's about some old guy in Cuba and a big fish. How much symbolism can be in that book?"  
  
Pan shrugged as she surveyed the cover of the book. "Looks pretty stupid to me... I thought Ernest Hemingway was supposed to be some great writer. Why would he write about a fish?" (A/N: If you don't know, they're talking about The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I read it in school and had to do a speech on the symbolism, and I found the book to be quite annoying and pointless. But that's just my opinion.)   
  
"Well maybe we should read the book and figure out why before we even think about making a project."  
  
"Good point."  
  
Videl opened up her copy of the book and started to read the first page. Pan just stared at her as she leaned against the wall, mentally noting that the Videl of her time hadn't changed much from this one. Her mother had aged gracefully, and Pan smiled to herself as she let her mind wander.   
  
"Pan?"  
  
"Hmm?" Pan looked up quickly when she heard Videl say her name. She didn't even notice that she'd been staring at her feet.   
  
"You ok?" Videl gave her the warm, compassionate look Pan immediately recognized. Some things never changed, no matter what time period they took place in.   
  
"Oh... yeah..." Pan looked almost embarrassed. "Sorry... I guess I was just thinking..."  
  
"Can I ask what about?" Videl said as she shut her book.   
  
Pan sat on top of the desk next to Videl. "I was thinking about how much I miss my mom."  
  
Videl nodded. A look passed over her face that Pan had never seen on this version of Videl. It was a look of sympathy and compassion, but there was something hidden in her eyes that only Pan could see. It was the same look of pain her mother wore every now and then. "I'm sorry... I know how bad that must feel."  
  
Pan sensed it was a sensitive subject for her, but she couldn't resist. "You never talk about your mom. What's she like?"  
  
Videl kept her eyes on the book, subconsciously tracing the cover with the fingers on her left hand, and tapping the surface of the desk with the other, a gesture Pan also noticed. Her mother always did that when she was trying to think of a good answer to a question without actually telling the whole truth. A way to protect Pan's feelings or her own. Pan expected that with this Videl, it was the latter reason.   
  
"Well..." Videl started, then gave up and stopped with the tapping, but kept her head down. "She's dead. She's been dead for 7 years."   
  
"Oh..." Pan said. She knew how it felt to lose a parent, though she'd never known the parent that she lost. "I'm sorry."  
  
Videl nodded. "It's ok. It's just hard to talk about sometimes. But somehow..." She looked up at Pan and smiled. "Somehow I get the feeling I can trust you."   
  
Pan smiled back. "I'm glad. I'd like to become your friend while I'm here... even if it is for a few more days."  
  
Videl smiled too. She felt something she'd only felt with Gohan. She felt a friendship slowly starting to build a strong bond. "I'd like that too."  
  
"So tell me about your mom," Pan said as she jumped off the desk and sat on the bed. "Or is that too painful?" She looked at Videl sympathetically as she turned around to face her.   
  
Videl shook her head. "No... I think I can do it... My mom was... there's really no words to describe her. She was really caring, and loving... like all moms but... there was something special about her. She could always make you laugh even if you were just crying... And she and my dad always had so many fights because their both so stubborn... She was a fighter too, but she was never as good at it as she would've liked to be. She didn't take it as seriously as my dad. She was pretty strong though... Just not strong enough to beat... whoever killed her."  
  
It was silent for a moment as Videl looked down again. It was obvious to Pan that she was trying to keep from crying. It reminded her of the old days when she was little and she used to ask her mother where her daddy was. Poor Videl. This had to be hard to retell. But she was glad she was telling her the story. It showed how much Videl trusted her already.   
  
"She was killed?" Pan spoke softly, breaking the eerie silence. "No one ever found out who did it?"  
  
Videl shook her head, still looking down. "Nope."  
  
"Damn... I'm really sorry."  
  
Videl looked up and wiped away the two tears that leaked to the surface. Surprisingly, she smiled. "Thanks. For your sympathy, and for letting me tell it. I don't think I've ever told anyone that story.... well... except for Gohan."  
  
Pan's eyebrows rose at that. "Really? You trust Gohan that much?"  
  
Videl grinned, a grin even Pan wasn't sure she knew the meaning of. "Yeah... I guess I do."  
  
Pan laughed. "You sure don't show it very well."  
  
"I know," Videl replied, still smiling. "I am a bitch to him most of the time... But it's only because he pisses me off sometimes..."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Well for one, he's stronger than I am. I've been able to beat every girl and guy at school since I was in kindergarten, and then Gohan shows up and I can't do shit to him. And then there's the fact that he's so goddamn nice... It's sick... And he's so damn... what's the word?"  
  
"Cute?" Pan asked with a mischievous grin.   
  
"Yeah... No! No! That's not what I meant!" Videl was flailing her arms about wildly as her cheeks slowly changed to red.   
  
"Yes it is!" Pan said teasingly, then added in a sing-song voice. "You think Gohan's cute!"  
  
"Shhh!" Videl told her, looking at the closed door. "I don't want anyone to hear."  
  
"So you do think Gohan's cute?"  
  
Videl sighed loudly. "Alright... I guess I do... But so what! It doesn't mean anything."  
  
"It means you like him more than you thought you did. Right?"  
  
Videl looked to be deep in thought as she tapped her finger on the wooden chair. "I don't know.... It's weird. Every other guy I've ever met totally repulsed me... but for some odd reason, Gohan's different. It's driving me crazy. I find myself talking about everything with him after my flying lessons... I just don't get it."  
  
Pan tried to hold back her glee, but the huge smile on her face just wouldn't minimize. Luckily, Videl didn't seem to notice. "Well apparently you're falling for who you thought to be your worst enemy."  
  
Videl gave Pan an angry look. "Well thank you, Miss Know-It-All." She sighed again and her voice softened. "When did you know you were love with Trunks?"  
  
Pan's face went from excited, to a warm look of tenderness at the mention of Trunks. "I guess I knew when I was... oh... 8 years old." They both laughed. "I don't know... I guess I've sort of always known.... it just didn't hit me until he got this annoying girlfriend that kept him attached to her 24/7. He was never like that with his other girlfriends... In fact, I think he spent more time with me than them. Always. And then she came along... Well let's just say she and I had a little.... territorial battle here and there, which caused my relationship with Trunks to sour. To make a long story short, somehow we worked things out and she now she's long gone. Trunks is mine, and now that's all that matters. We're living happily ever after." She smiled at Videl, who was also smiling. "I wouldn't trade any of it for the world."  
  
"How'd you know... I mean..." Videl looked almost embarrassed to ask the question. "How'd you know that Trunks was the one for you... I mean, what made you so sure that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him?"  
  
Surprisingly to Pan, she couldn't answer right away. There was so much she wanted to say, but couldn't form the words into intelligible sentences. "Well... There's really no answer to that question. It was just something I knew. I knew him since the day I was born, practically worshipped him as a child, looked up to him and then admired him from afar. Then that admiration turned into unrequited love. And when I finally figured out that he loved me too, it was only natural for me to want to spend the rest of my life with him. Does that makes any sense?"  
  
Videl shrugged. "I guess so..."  
  
Pan smiled and ruffled Videl's hair. "Don't worry... when you're in love, it'll hit you like a ton of bricks."   
  
"You really think I'm going to find love?"   
  
"Of course. There's love for everybody. And I sense a great romance in your immediate future."  
  
Videl raised an eyebrow. "Oh really..."  
  
"Yes. Give me your palm." Videl extended her hand reluctantly. Pan traced over the lines of her palm, pretending to know what she was doing. "Oh yes... I was right. A great romance is on the way... with a tall, dark, handsome man your age. And I see you two getting married and of course having a child. A little girl with your stubbornness and fighting spirit. Oh and your in-laws... Let's just say they're not people you're going to want to hang around often."  
  
Videl laughed at the image she got from Pan's story. "How can you tell all that from my palm?"  
  
Pan grinned mysteriously. "I just have a sixth sense... That's all."  
  
~*~  
  
When the future (or present, depending on how you look at it) Videl opened her eyes, she found herself in what looked to be some strange coliseum. She looked down and found that she was tied to some sort of pole, and Xavier, who was slowly opening his eyes, was tied to an identical one next to her. In the millions of rows of seats in the coliseum were many eager-looking, manly women, and in the middle of the coliseum was the same woman with the club, only now she wasn't armed.   
  
Videl turned to Xavier, who was just as confused as she was. "Where the fuck are we?"  
  
"I have no clue," He replied. "But I'm suddenly aware that women can be freakishly strong."  
  
Videl rolled her eyes. "How are we going to get out of this?"  
  
"How am I supposed to know? I mean, I'm barely a man and everything..."  
  
"Oh stop whining and think."  
  
"I think the big bitch that had the club is about to say something."  
  
Videl looked down at the ground and watched as the woman simply brought up a hand, and the audience was silent. The "big bitch that had the club" as Xavier put it, cleared her throat and began to speak.   
  
"Good evening, fellow women," She called out to the crowd. "I'm glad you could all gather here today for the show."  
  
"What show?" Videl and Xavier asked.  
  
"I am happy to announce that we have found another man to feel the wrath of..." The woman smiled evilly. "The Creature."  
  
"What the fuck is 'The Creature'?" Xavier asked, and Videl shushed him as the woman began to say more.   
  
"We also have captured a fellow woman, but a man-worshipping woman. She too will feel the wrath of The Creature." The manly woman looked up at Videl and Xavier and waved mockingly. "Thank you for your stay at The Land Of Innumerable Women, but you're about to seal your doom." She raised an arm and with a shout, called out to the thing called "The Creature" to come out. A gate was raised on the side farthest from Videl and Xavier, and out of it came the biggest... thing they'd ever seen.  
  
"What the fuck is that?" Xavier asked.   
  
"The Creature," Videl replied.   
  
And what a creature it was. It had to be almost as big as the humongous coliseum, with huge horns and fangs that dripped with disgusting saliva. It had huge yellow eyes with cat-like pupils, long arms and legs and a loud, intimidating roar. It was truly a sight to see, and a sight that almost made Xavier wet his pants.  
  
"Oh shit, Videl!" He screamed. "That thing is going to eat us!"  
  
"No shit, Xavier!" Videl shouted back. "Just shut up so I can think of a way to get us out of this."   
  
The Creature began to walk forward ever so slowly as Xavier mumbled pleas to Kami to let him survive this and apologies for everything he'd ever done wrong.   
  
"Would you shut up!" Videl screamed at him. "I got an idea."  
  
He stopped mumbling and looked at her. "Really? What?"  
  
She didn't answer. She shifted her position a little so that her palm was resting on the rope that bound her to the pole. In one quick motion she incinerated the rope with a ki blast, which made her fall down, but she quickly caught herself using her ki.   
  
"Hurry up, Videl!" Xavier called. "The Creature is coming closer!"   
  
Videl floated up to Xavier and ki blasted the rope that held him there and then caught him in her arms as he began to fall from the pole. She wasted no time in getting away, she flew at top speed out of the coliseum and as far away as she could go.   
  
"That was close!" Videl called as she continued to fly.   
  
"Um... I hate to break this to you," Xavier said, sounding somewhat panicked as he looked over Videl's shoulder. "But I wouldn't get too excited just yet."  
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"Well... apparently this thing has sprouted wings."  
  
"What?"  
  
Videl turned around, and sure enough, The Creature was flying after them, slightly slower than Videl was. Her mouth dropped as she saw it, and Xavier pointed down to the ground where a mob of angry, manly women were running and screaming up at them in some sort of foreign language.   
  
"Now what do we do?" Xavier asked.   
  
"Hold on! I'm going to try and land."  
  
"You're what?"  
  
Videl started to pick up speed just enough to take her yards ahead of the monster that was chasing them. Slowly she lowered herself so that she could land and be far enough away from the angry women. As soon as she hit the ground, she and Xavier began to run like chickens with their heads cut off.  
  
"This is exactly why I'm gay!" Xavier shouted. The Creature was also running behind the angry women who were catching up to them. "You women are fucking crazy!"  
  
"Shut up and throw the capsule that has the time machine in it!" Videl shouted.   
  
Xavier did as he was told and threw the capsule a few feet ahead of them. "You go on ahead and get into the time machine and type a course."  
  
"What about you?" Videl asked, noticing that Xavier had stopped.   
  
"Just go!" He called back. Videl did as she was told and immediately jumped into the time machine as Xavier closed his eyes and started to concentrate. He knew they were inching closer and closer to him, but he drowned out their voices.   
  
"What the hell is he doing?" Videl mumbled to herself as she pushed in a course.   
  
Soon, she got her answer. A raging fire burst out of nowhere and engulfed the women as well as the demonic "Creature". Xavier grinned almost sadistically as he ran to the time machine that was slowly raising itself off the ground. He jumped inside just in time, and continued to grin as he watched the land below them go down in the flames.   
  
"Good thinking," Videl said.   
  
"Thanks," Xavier had never been so happy in his life. He looked at the control panel and noticed the year they were going to. "We're going home?"  
  
Videl looked at him like he was crazy. "Hell yeah, we're going home! I'm not taking another chance of ending up in the same situation as today. Pan and Trunks will just have to get their own way home."  
  
Xavier wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed with relief. "Thank Kami... I'm really too old for this..."   
  
~*~  
  
After Pan and Videl talked some more, they went outside with Gohan for another one of Videl's flying lessons. For some odd reason, Videl wasn't catching on at all. She'd been having the lessons for over a week, and nothing seemed to change in her progress. Gohan wondered what was wrong, but Pan suspected that she didn't progress on purpose.   
  
Once again Pan found herself sitting on a rock watching them. She loved to watch the way they acted with each other, especially now since she knew they both were trying so hard to fight their feelings for each other. She figured if she got to know both of them well enough, she could somehow use her powers of persuasion to get them together. Trunks always told her that manipulation was her middle name.   
  
"Alright, Videl, you know the drill," Gohan told her. "Concentrate..."  
  
Videl nodded as she closed her eyes, trying to empty her mind. Gohan's words were barely audible, but she heard him say something about focusing and staying calm. She didn't know how long she had been concentrating when she felt a sudden whoosh of wind and... was she rising off the ground? She looked down and sure enough, she was floating a few feet above the ground.   
  
"Wow!" She exclaimed. "I did it!"  
  
"Go, Videl!" Pan shouted with a smile on her face.   
  
"Good job, Videl!" Gohan said as she lowered herself to the ground. "I knew you could do it."  
  
"It only took me a week..." Videl mumbled.   
  
"So. It doesn't matter how long it took you. What matters is that you can do it."  
  
They smiled at each other and stared for a while, and then suddenly they both turned away, each with a bright pink blush creeping to the surface.  
  
"Awww..." Pan said dreamily as she watched them. "They're so cute."  
  
"But not as cute as you."  
  
Pan turned around and grinned as Trunks sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I thought you were going to be at Capsule for a few more hours."  
  
"So did I. But I got sent home early since I was falling asleep on the job."  
  
"Oh, you poor baby. Maybe you should go on home and get some sleep."  
  
Trunks smiled. She was already getting used to living in this time. She called it "home". Maybe that wasn't such a good thing. "No, I don't want to sleep right now. I need to spend time with my Panny-chan."  
  
Pan grinned as he started kissing her neck. "Alright... If you say so."   
  
She was still smiling as she waved goodbye to Videl, who was getting into her jet copter. She watched her take off and saw the questioning look on Gohan's face as he looked up at her.   
  
"Trunks?" Pan almost moaned his name as he continued to kiss her neck.   
  
"Hmm?"   
  
"I think I need to talk to Gohan alone."   
  
He stopped kissing her and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. But when he saw the look on Gohan's face, he nodded. "Ok," He said as he stood up, bringing Pan along with him. "I'll see you later." He kissed her before he took off in the air towards the house.   
  
Pan floated down to the ground in front of Gohan and smiled the Son grin. "Hey, Gohan."  
  
"Hi... So how's your plan coming along?"  
  
He looked so eager and excited that Pan hated to tell him the truth. "Well... I don't know. I can't really tell right now, Gohan."  
  
Gohan went from an excited child, to a disappointed one. "Oh..."  
  
"But don't worry. I'm sure I'll be able to get you guys together before I leave."   
  
Gohan sat down in the grass and sighed. "But you don't know when you're leaving is the problem. You could leave tomorrow... or today..."  
  
She sat down beside him and said, apologetically, "I know... I'm sorry... I guess I shouldn't have promised you I'd get you two together..."  
  
"That's not the only reason why I don't want you to leave anytime soon..."  
  
"Oh?" Pan looked a little confused. "What's your other reason?"  
  
He seemed to hesitate for a second. "It's just... I was hoping to get to know you better... To be friends with you..."  
  
Pan smiled. "Yeah, I was hoping so too. I really like living in this time."  
  
"Really? Why's that?"  
  
Pan stretched her legs out in front of her. "I guess because there's nothing to worry about here. I grew up constantly afraid that there was an Android waiting for me around the corner. All I had was my mom, Trunks, and Bulma." She smiled. "And my friend, Xavier. And now that the Androids are gone, I'm still worried that something else is going to come along and threaten to take them away from me... Here, there's nothing to worry about."  
  
Gohan looked almost shocked at her conclusion. "You don't think I wonder about the same things? You don't think that I'm afraid that I'm going to have to fight something again and lose someone else I care about?"   
  
"Well..."  
  
"I know it may not seem like it, but trust me, I do. I'm just good at hiding it. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one."  
  
"So if you're so worried, why don't you train more often?" He gave her a surprised, confused look, and she gave him a small smile. "I guess I sort of assumed you didn't... I expected the one who defeated Cell to be a lot stronger."  
  
"Well you're good at assuming. I don't train as much. I guess part of the reason lies with my mother. She's so damn protective of me and doesn't want me to go down the same path as my dad. She thinks my studies should come first. And another reason is... I just don't want to. I like to fight, but only because I'm part Saiyan. I think I like being normal a lot more."  
  
"But you're never going to be normal, Gohan. You're half alien."  
  
"I know... I guess I just like to pretend... I do that a lot..."  
  
There was silence between the two teens as Pan reflected on what he just said. She could relate, there were some moments when she wished she was normal too. But then there were moments when she took pride in the Saiyan part of her. She suspected Gohan did too, from time to time. And she really felt sorry for him too. She could tell by the way he talked that he was very much afraid of losing someone else, and that he felt guilty for his father's death. Her earlier assumptions were correct.   
  
"So what happened to your father?" Gohan asked.   
  
"What?" She looked at him surprise. That question had definitely come out of nowhere.  
  
"Well you said all you had in life was your mom, Trunks, Bulma, and your friend, Xavier. I was wondering what happened to your dad."  
  
"Oh..." She wanted to say, "He died, but now I get to know the past version of him," but she didn't. Instead she said, "He died before I was born."  
  
"Oh... I'm sorry."  
  
Pan nodded. "It's ok. I mean, it's not like I knew him or anything... The part the really sucks is the fact that he died the day I was born. A few hours before. I don't exactly have too many happy birthdays."  
  
"Damn... that really must suck."  
  
She nodded again and sighed. "For some reason, I really miss my mom today."  
  
"Today has been bad for me too. Seems like everything reminds me of my dad."   
  
There was another moment of silence before Pan jumped up. "Come on, let's stop with all the sad stuff. Let's go home so we can eat before Goten and Trunks get to it."  
  
Gohan smiled. "Good idea."  
  
They both bolted into the air and flew as fast as they could go. And though their parents and loved ones were still on their minds, they pushed them aside to welcome a new image that was almost as important to them: food.  
  
~*~  
  
After the meal and more moments of fun between the Sons and their two visitors from the future, Trunks and Pan found themselves in their room. Pan was sitting on the bed as Trunks stretched on the floor in front of her.   
  
"So what did you and Gohan talk about?" Trunks asked her. "You seemed upset."  
  
Pan looked at him funny. "Where'd you get that from?"  
  
"The bond. I felt you get a little upset, then happier."  
  
Pan rolled her eyes. "This bond thing is starting to get on my nerves. First I hear your voice in my head in the most inopportune times, then you know everything I'm feeling when I'm feeling it. I can't hide shit from you, can I?"  
  
"Not a chance," He said as he knelt in front of her and kissed her. "So what was going on?" He said is with a hint of vehemence in his voice that made her smile. He was always so protective of her.   
  
"Nothing," She replied. "We were just talking about how much I miss my mom and how much he misses his dad. And how we both wish we had more time to get to know each other. How is the rebuilding of that... thing going, by the way?"  
  
Trunks shrugged. "I couldn't do shit today. I was so damn tired. These nightmares are really driving me crazy. So we're getting nowhere."  
  
Pan nodded. She was both relieved, and sad to hear the news. She hated to leave this time, but she also hated being away from her time and everything that was familiar to her. It made her feel guilty for wanting to stay as long as possible, but she couldn't help it. She had so much fun here.   
  
"I know what you're thinking, Pan," Trunks said, sounding a little concerned.  
  
"What am I thinking then?" Pan asked as she got up and walked over to the window.   
  
"You're getting too attached to this time. You don't want to leave."  
  
"I'm not getting too attached to this time," She kept her eyes on the view outside the window. "I do like living here, but I want to see my mom just as much as you want to see yours."  
  
Trunks walked over to her and stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I know you, Pan. Deep down inside, you're going to hate it when we have to leave."  
  
"So?" She said defensively as she whipped around to face him. "What's wrong with that?"  
  
"I just don't want to see you get too attached to the past versions of your parents, that's all. You don't belong here, Panny. Remember that."  
  
"I know I don't belong here, Trunks," She said, almost bitterly as she pushed herself passed him, back to her spot on the bed. "You don't have to remind me of it."  
  
"Just remember what I said anyway, Pan." He walked over to her and knelt down, gently turning her face to his. "Ok?"  
  
Pan nodded. "Ok."  
  
He kissed her softly on the lips and smiled. "I love you, Pan."  
  
"I love you too, Trunks."   
  
Soon they were in bed, and Trunks was asleep as soon as he hit the pillow. But Pan had more trouble falling asleep, for Trunks' words echoed in her head all night. And for whatever reason, she found that her pillow was damp when she woke up. It gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach that stayed with her all day.   
  
*~*~*~*  
Ok, so review, my dear readers. Tell me what you think. What you liked. What you didn't like. Whatever. Just tell me something. And always be aware that you can give me your email address and I will send you an email when the next chapter comes out. And also be aware that my bio contains a good indicator on when to expect the next chapter, too. I think that's about it. Farewell!  
  
Next Chapter: In the past, Videl further excels in her flying techniques, and also lets Gohan and Pan know about the upcoming World Tournament. This excites Pan immensely, but when she goes to tell Trunks about it, he's not exactly thrilled. Also, Goten and his comrade, little Trunks, overhear a certain adult action between a certain couple that is sure to provide laughter and embarrassment. In the present, or future, Videl, Xavier, and Bulma try to get used to the absence of Pan and Trunks. 


End file.
